MICHIGAN AEROSPACE CORPORATION INSTRUMENT HEADED FOR INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION – WILL HELP GLOBAL CLIMATE MODELING

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Michigan Aerospace Corporation (MAC), an advanced engineering and products company, today announced the successful delivery of a precision optical system which will be sent to the International Space Station (ISS) via a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle in mid-September 2014. The optical system is part of the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) developed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Mounted externally on the space station’s Japanese Experiment Module, CATS uses a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system to measure the location, composition and distribution of pollution, dust, smoke, aerosols and other particulates that impact global climate. With these measurements, scientists can improve our understanding of climate feedback mechanisms and energy balance on a global scale. The MAC optical system is based on a Fabry-Perot interferometer, one in a long line of atmospheric measurement instruments created for use in harsh environments.

More Information on the CATS instrument.

More information on the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon delivery vehicle.