Abstract

Abstract. The Gimballed Limb Observer for Radiance Imaging of the Atmosphere (GLORIA), a Fourier-transform-spectrometer-based limb spectral imager, operates on high-altitude research aircraft to study the transit region between the troposphere and the stratosphere. It is one of the most sophisticated systems to be flown on research aircraft in Europe, requiring constant monitoring and human intervention in addition to an automation system. To ensure proper functionality and interoperability on multiple platforms, a flexible control and communication system was laid out. The architectures of the communication system as well as the protocols used are reviewed. The integration of this architecture in the automation process as well as the scientific campaign flight application context are discussed.

Highlights

  • The Gimballed Limb Observer for Radiance Imaging of the Atmosphere (GLORIA) is an infrared limb sounder which is based on an imaging Fourier transform spectrometer

  • The instrument can operate on various airborne platforms: to date, it has flown on the German highaltitude research aircraft HALO (High Altitude LOng range) and on the Russian stratospheric aircraft M55 Geophysica

  • The multiple networks are managed through virtual local area network (LAN) (VLAN) following the IEEE 802.1Q standard (IEEE, 2011) with the help of a managed switch mounted in the instrument rack alongside the central control computer

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Summary

Introduction

The Gimballed Limb Observer for Radiance Imaging of the Atmosphere (GLORIA) is an infrared limb sounder which is based on an imaging Fourier transform spectrometer. Kretschmer et al.: Control and communication architecture of the GLORIA limb imager mosphere’s structures (Ungermann et al, 2011; Kaufmann et al, 2015) Such a measurement program requires a precise along-track scanning of the line of sight, which must be synchronised with the spectrometer’s measurements. It is desirable to monitor the overall function of the instrument to ensure a swift response as issues arise; the quick restoration of the full instrument functionality and performance is advisable to minimise costly dead time in flight Such a challenging task can hardly be undertaken by a single operator and additional operators are needed on the ground to ensure the use of the full instrument potential. The paper will present how the communication concept can further facilitate interaction, in the context of flexible mission execution, between all actors involved

Instrument overview
Network architecture
Housekeeping data handling
Centralised data collection and distribution
Data visualisation
Control interface
Automatic control
Flight operations
Conclusions

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