NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (NAMMA) DC-8 deployment to Cape Verde, Sal island, Africa

NASA Deputy Administrator, Pam Melroy, left, poses for a photo with the Federal Government Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy, Dr. Anna Christmann, Thursday, March 31, 2022, at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

From left to right, Head of Science and Technology Section, German Embassy, Dr. René Haak; Head of the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) Washington Office, Mr. Marc Jochemich; the Federal Government Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy, Dr. Anna Christmann; Deputy Director General, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), Holger Schlienkamp; Head of Division, BMWK, Claudia Andree; NASA Office of International and Interagency Relations Deputy Associate Administrator, Meredith McKay; and NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy speak during a meeting, Thursday, March 31, 2022, at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

From left to right, Head of Science and Technology Section, German Embassy, Dr. René Haak; Head of the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) Washington Office, Mr. Marc Jochemich; the Federal Government Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy, Dr. Anna Christmann; Deputy Director General, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), Holger Schlienkamp; Head of Division, BMWK, Claudia Andree, speak with NASA Office of International and Interagency Relations Deputy Associate Administrator, Meredith McKay, front right, and NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, during a meeting, Thursday, March 31, 2022, at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

From left to right, Head of Science and Technology Section, German Embassy, Dr. René Haak; Head of the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) Washington Office, Mr. Marc Jochemich; the Federal Government Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy, Dr. Anna Christmann; Deputy Director General, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), Holger Schlienkamp; Head of Division, BMWK, Claudia Andree; NASA Office of International and Interagency Relations Deputy Associate Administrator, Meredith McKay; and NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy speak during a meeting, Thursday, March 31, 2022, at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

A Grumman OV-1B Mohawk maps Great Lakes’ ice flows for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The regular freezing of large portions of the Great Lakes during the winter frequently stalled the region’s shipping industry. Lewis developed two complementary systems to monitor the ice. The Side Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR) system used microwaves to measure the ice distribution, and electromagnetic systems employed noise modulation to determine the thickness of the ice. Once this dual system was in place, the information could be generated during a single pass of a research aircraft and quickly distributed to ship captains planning their routes. The SLAR was superior to aerial photography for this task because it was able to penetrate cloud cover. The SLAR system used pulsed microwaves to examine a band of ice or water on either side of the aircraft up to 31 miles wide. The Lewis ice mapping devices were first tested during the winter of 1972 and 1973. The system was installed on the tail of the Coast Guard’s OV-1B aircraft. An infrared thermal mapping instrument was installed on Lewis’ DC-3 to determine the ice temperature and estimate its thickness. The team created 160 ice charts that were sent to 28 ships and 2 icebreakers. Shipping was able to continue throughout the season for the first time that winter.