meidex

The primary mission of the MEIDEX payload was to study the temporal and spatial distribution and physical properties of atmospheric desert dust over North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Saharan regions. The aim was achieved by a remote sensing experiment operated by the astronauts aboard the shuttle. Also, MEIDEX accomplished diverse secondary science objectives by performing slant visibility observations, sea-surface reflectivity observations, desert surface observations and observations of Transient Luminous Events, better known as sprites.

The FREESTAR payload includes six separate experiments mounted on a crossbay HH
Multipurpose Equipment Support Structure (MPESS). Experiments include:

• The Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment (MEIDEX), managed by the Israeli Space Agency (ASI) and Tel-Aviv University (TAU) and sponsored by NASA/HQ Code Y.
• The Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding Experiment-02 (SOLSE-02), managed by NASA/GSFC Code 916, Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Branch and sponsored by NASA/HQ Code Y.
• The Critical Viscosity of Xenon-2 (CVX-2), managed by NASA/Glenn Research Center (GRC) and sponsored by NASA/HQ Code U.
• The Solar Constant Experiment-3 (SOLCON-3), managed by the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (RMIB) and sponsored by NASA/HQ Code Y.
• The Low Power Transceiver (LPT), managed by NASA/GSFC Code 450 and sponsored by NASA/HQ Code M, with collaboration from the GSFC/ Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO).
• The Space Experiment Module (SEM), managed by the NASA/GSFC SSPPO