What is SPARCLE? SPARCLE is an acronym for SPAce Readiness Coherent Lidar Experiment. It is being developed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center to demonstrate the ability of a lidar (laser radar) method to measure winds from space. This method transmits pulses of laser light (in this case, infrared) and observes wavelength shifts of that light when it is reflected by moving particles in the air. (See accompanying illustration.) The shift of wavelength is called “Doppler shift”, which is similar to the effect of the changing pitch of a passing train whistle. ATTRIBUTES OF SPARCLE Pulsed, Eyesafe, Coherent Detection Doppler Wind Lidar 100 mJ, 6 Hz., 0.25 m, 30 degree from nadir; 300 km, 51 degrees or greater orbit MSFC/LaRC/JPL/GSFC/UAH/CTI/SWA Collaboration Shuttle Technology Demonstration Mission: 3 Hitchhiker Cans Full Lidar Technology & Scanning Technique Demonstration Science Products: LOS & Vector winds, Cloud Heights & Properties, and Aerosol Backscatter Distribution The SPARCLE Instrument Comments regarding our web service may be e-mailed to: paul.meyer@msfc.nasa.gov Responsible Official: Dr. James E. Arnold (jim.arnold@msfc.nasa.gov) Page Curator: Diane Samuelson (diane.samuelson@msfc.nasa.gov) Last Updated: July 8, 1998