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 The MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) is a modified Daedalus
Wildfire scanning spectrometer which flies on a NASA ER-2 high
altitude research aircraft and provides spectral information similar to
that which will be provided by the Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS)  scheduled to be launched on the EOS-AM platform in 1998.
The principal scientific investigators for the MAS are Dr. Michael King and Dr. Paul Menzel. The Wildfire Spectrometer was delivered to NASA Ames Research Center in April 1991. A single visible channel was added and several spectral channels in the infrared port were altered to configure the instrument for the FIRE Cirrus-II experiment. In January 1992 the modified Wildfire was then further modified to become MAS. Beginning in June of 1992, the MAS has been flown in a series of experiments that have lasted on average 2 to 8 weeks, with anywhere from 5 to 15 flights carried during each experiment. The MAS spectrometer acquires high spatial resolution imagery in the range of 0.55 to 14.3 microns. A total of 50 spectral bands are available in this range. Pre-1995 the digitizer was configured for each mission to record a pre-selected group of 12 bands during the flight. For most of these missions the digitizer was configured to record four 10-bit channels and seven 8-bit channels. A 50-channel digitizer which records all 50 spectral bands at 12 bit resolution became operational in January 1995. The MAS spectrometer is mated to a scanner sub-assembly which collects image data with an IFOV of 2.5 mrad, giving a ground resolution of 50 meters from 20000 meters altitude, and a cross track scan width of 85.92 degrees.
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