The EDML represented by TTSS unit participated in preparatory measurement campaign for ASKOS experimental campaign (https://askos.space.noa.gr/) which took place at the facilities and private airfield of Unmanned Systems Research Lab (https://usrl.cyi.ac.cy/) of Cyprus Institute at Nicosia from 9 until 19 Nov 2019.
On August 22, 2018, the Aeolus satellite carrying the first UV Doppler lidar in space (ALADIN) was successfully launched. Aeolus will provide unprecedented measurements of global wind profiles as well as information on aerosols and clouds. ASKOS Experimental Campaign of European Space Agency (ESA) will take place on June/July 2020 at the Ocean Science Centre Mindelo (OSCM)at the Sao Vicente island of Cape Verde. ASKOS will deploy advanced ground-based remote sensing and surface/airborne in situ instrumentation to provide observations of aerosol, clouds, water vapor and wind. These measurements will be used for the calibration and validation of the Aeolus satellite aerosol, cloud and wind products.
TTSS team (PI: George Hloupis, V. Skoubris: design & development of low cost/high precision resettable picoammeter / implementation of ion counter, I. Makrakis: development of mini field mill instrument, D. Stathakis: development of low cost lightning detector, Prof. K.Xynos: design of a novel low cost approach for ion counter) will participate in ASKOS and will be responsible for the development of low cost, disposable, sensors for measuring crucial parameters of atmospheric electric field such as the potential gradient and ion density.
In preparatory measurement campaign at Cyprus, TTSS team has successfully evaluated its sensor prototypes suitable for vertical profiling (using meteorological balloons) as well as horizontal profiling (using UAVs).
