LACE Experiment
LACE (Lightweight Airborne Chromatograph Experiment)
The Lightweight Airborne Chromatograph Experiment (LACE) is a two-channel gas chromatograph (GC) that is designed for operation on balloons and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) up to 32 km in altitude. LACE, similar to Airborne Chromatograph for Atmospheric Trace Species (ACATS), is a joint collaborative project between two National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) labs: the Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory (CMDL) and Aeronomy Laboratory (AL) in Boulder, CO. The first test flights of this new instrument will occur during a Stratopheric Tracers for Atmospheric Transport (STRAT) deployment located at Fort Sumner, NM in June 1996. The design and construction of LACE is supported in part by the Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) Program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Atmospheric Chemistry Project of NOAA's Climate and Global Change Program (C&GP). The operation of LACE for STRAT mission is supported in part by the High Speed Research Program (HSRP) of NASA, Upper Atmospheric Research Program of NASA, and the Atmospheric Chemistry Project of NOAA's C&CP.

Co-Principal Investigators: Drs. James W. Elkins (CMDL; phone: 303 497-6224) and David W. Fahey (AL; 303 497-5277)
For more information, contact Dr. Fred L. Moore (303 497-7628)

Signals from LACE: the First Chromatograms

Photos of LACE Under Construction

New Sensors and Controllers Developed for LACE

The People Behind LACE

Chamber Tests in Boulder

Lab at Ft. Sumner, NM

A Balloon Launch

Field Action Cam

Test Flight Balloon Launch and Recovery

Preliminary Test Flight Data

Results from First Science Ready Flight in September 1996

Seasonal Boundary Limits of the Tropical Pipe

Mass Flux through the Tropics


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