An allsky imaging system to continously monitor neutral winds and temperatures

This proposal constructs and fields a Fabry-Perot based airglow Doppler imaging system. A triple etalon system combined with efficient all-sky optics and a sensitive CCD detector are the heart of this unique atmospheric sensing tool. The instrument willhave the capability to resolve neutral winds and temperatures in the thermospheric F-region over the entire diurnal cycle. The system will provide spatial as well as spectral information, allowing the detection of 630.0nm airglow to be used as a predictorof scintillation. We anticipate wind velocity resolution to 10-15 m/s with a 8 minute exposure, over an all-sky field of view. The resulting data stream of 6-7 wind fields per hour, over a diurnal period will make this a powerful dynamic sensor.Scientific Solutions has a long heritage of airglow observations including a robotic airglow photometer in Chile. The proposed system will incorporate many of the same design elements. The final system will be autonomous, capable of independent orremote controlled operation over the Internet.