Sorry I've been even quieter than usual the last week or so--I'll be joining the Airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance (air-LUSI) team for their campaign of flights this December and I'm currently busy at the National Institute of Standards and Technology helping them get ready!

a video game character says " can it wait for a bit ? "

Alt: Garrus Vakarian from Mass Effect, with the text "Can it wait for a bit? I'm in the middle of some calibrations."

🥳🥳🥳

air-LUSI measures the moon's spectral irradiance. Because it flies above 90% of the atmosphere in the wing pod of a NASA ER-2 (civilian U-2 variant), it can take better measurements than Earth-based instruments, which will result in better calibrations for satellites that study Earth.

Flying aboard NASA’s ER-2 airplane: New Moon-Seeking Sensor 🌛

YouTube video by NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center