Measurements of O2, O3 and NO2 During the MANTRA Balloon Campaign: Field-Testing the MAESTRO Space Instrument Concept

The MAESTRO (Measurements of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere Retrieved by Occultation) satellite instrument will accompany the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer on the Canadian satellite SciSat-1 when it is launched in December 2002. MAESTRO is a photodiode array spectrometer that will make solar occultation measurements of atmospheric attenuation during satellite sunrise and sunset to investigate the dynamical and chemical processes affecting stratospheric ozone. The precursor instrument to MAESTRO, the SunPhotoSpectrometer, was launched August 29, 2000 from Vanscoy, Saskatchewan as part of the main high-altitude balloon payload during the MANTRA (Middle Atmosphere Nitrogen TRend Assessment) 2000 field campaign. Sunrise occultation measurements made from a float altitude of 37 km have resulted in the retrieval of vertical profiles of ozone and nitrogen dioxide. Of particular relevance to the MAESTRO project are measurements of the A and B bands of molecular oxygen, which will be used for retrieving vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature and pressure on orbit. Molecular oxygen measurements made during the MANTRA campaign will be used to validate line-by-line models for MAESTRO temperature and pressure retrievals.