Mission Checklist

The CAP/NASA 2026 Aviation Skywatch Mission is designed to maximize the data each team collects while minimizing the time and resource requirements for the participants. The following are the steps that Squadrons need to take to participate. Mission participants should plan on spending approximately 20 hours on this mission. This includes 7 hours of training, two 1 hour mandatory briefings, two 4 hour data collection events, and 3 to 4 hours of data entry. 

Before the Mission

1. Identify how many members of your unit are interested in participating. Each data collection team should have between 8 and 18 CAP Members (both cadets and SMs qualify for these numbers). Squadrons that do not have enough participants can partner up with neighboring units to create a joint team. Also, squadrons with high numbers of interested participants can form multiple teams.

2. Determine the dates that your unit would like to make observations. The mission has three primary observation dates (March 14, April 11, and May 16), on which NASA expects to collect the best data. Registered units are asked to collect data on at least two observation dates. In the event of inclement weather, teams can complete alternate protocols.

3. Determine the location where your team will observe contrails and other atmospheric phenomena. Ideal data collection locations have a clear view of the sky in all directions and where commercial flights fly at altitude overhead. Other things to look for are easy access to water, shade/shelter, and bathrooms.

4. Register your data collection team(s). If your teams are not already registered, you can do so at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdjPeiIL81Q-35BNDmoJhU5Gv1pw6Jv4K-ELwnrQJzOdTwRgA/viewform?usp=header 

5. Complete all 7 Core Training Lessons. These lessons are designed to teach team members the ES and scientific skills that they will need to complete the mission.

6. Have at least one member attend a mission briefing that will be held on the Friday evening before each observation date. To accommodate teams spread across at least 7 time zones, the mission staff will hold three briefings. 

During the Mission

1. Be on location and ready to collect data at least 15 minutes before the data collection period begins. This means the team needs to have everyone signed into the mission in WIMRS and all equipment set up and ready to go before 0800 hours local time on the observation date.

2. Follow the CAP/NASA 2026 Aviation Skywatch Mission Data Collection Protocol. For more details about the procedure, go to the Data Collection section of this document. 

3. Sign everyone out of the mission before cadets/members head home. 

After the Mission

1. Submit all your team's data within one week of the observation date. This will allow the data management team to organize the data and transmit it to NASA by the end of the month. It also gives the admin team access to the full list of participant names, which allows us to start creating the Aviation Skywatch Mission Certificates for all team members.

2. Have each member complete the post-mission survey within 1 week of the observation date. This survey should take less than 15 minutes to complete and help us understand this mission's impact on CAP members.

3. Print and present Aviation Skywatch Mission Certificates to mission participants. PDFs of these mission certificates should be emailed to each team leader within one month of the last observation date.

4. Give any mission feedback you have to the mission support team either by email or during the after-action meeting. Participant feedback helps make each mission better. Many of the resources and improvements made to this mission format were made due to participant feedback from the 2023 and 2024 Solar Eclipse Missions and the 2025 Aviation Weather Mission.

5. Consider participating in one of the other CAP/NASA Missions and Challenges. The NASA scientists we have worked with have been so impressed with our previous efforts that we already have future CAP/NASA missions and challenges in the works. 

Continue to Mission Requirements