Title: Status of the Multi-Angle Stratospheric Aerosol Radiometer (MASTAR) Instrument
Presenting Author: Matthew DeLand
Organization: Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI)
Co-Author(s): Peter Colarco (NASA/GSFC), Matthew Kowalewski (GESTAR/USRA), Luis Ramos-Izquierdo (NASA/GSFC), Nick Gorkavyi (SSAI)

Abstract:
Aerosol particles in the stratosphere (~15-25 km altitude), produced by volcanic eruptions and anthropogenic emissions, can offset some of the warming effects caused by greenhouse gases. These aerosols are currently monitored using measurements from the Ozone Mapping and Profiling Suite (OMPS) Limb Profiler (LP) instrument on the Suomi NPP satellite. We are developing a compact version of the OMPS LP sensor called Multi-Angle Stratospheric Aerosol Radiometer (MASTAR) in order to improve the sensitivity and spatial coverage of these aerosol data. This project is using a NASA Instrument Incubator Program (IIP) grant, and is designed for a 3U Cubesat satellite bus. The MASTAR instrument will make limb viewing measurements of the atmosphere in multiple directions simultaneously, and uses selected wavelengths in the visible and near-IR (670 nm, 850 nm) to reduce size and cost. Additional measurements are made at 350 nm to validate satellite pointing, which is a critical parameter for limb measurements. We will discuss the scientific benefits of MASTAR and the status of the project.