THE ATHENA-OAWL (AEROSOL TRANSPORT HURRICANES AND EXTRA-TROPICAL NUMERICAL WEATHER PREDICTION USING OPTICAL AUTOCOVARIANCE WIND LIDAR) MISSION CONCEPT WAS PROPOSED TO THE EARTH VENTURE INSTRUMENT ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY IN LATE 2013. REVIEWS WERE STRONGLY IN FAVOR OF THE PROPOSED SCIENCE BUT INDICATED THAT ADDITIONAL AIRBORNE OAWL INSTRUMENT DEMONSTRATION AND VALIDATION WERE REQUIRED. UNDER THE ATHENA-OAWL VENTURE-TECH (AOVT) EFFORT THEUNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AND BALL AEROSPACE WILL BUILD FLY AND VALIDATE A 532 NM (GREEN) ROBUST AIRBORNE VERSION OF OAWL TO SERVE AS AN AIRBORNE DEMONSTRATOR FOR THE ATHENA-OAWL MISSION CONCEPT. THE PROPOSED GREEN OAWL ( GROAWL ) INSTRUMENT WILL OPERATE AT THE SINGLE 532 NM WAVELENGTH AND WILL BE THE FIRST AIRBORNE SYSTEM TO DEMONSTRATE A TWO-LOOK (TWOTELESCOPE TWO-LASER) APPROACH TO MEASURING VECTOR WINDS AS RECOMMENDED BY SCIENTISTS WORKING IN NUMERICAL WEATHER PREDICTION. THE AOVT TEAM WILL BUILD AND PREPARE THIS SYSTEM FOR AUTONOMOUS FLIGHT TESTS ON THE HIGH-ALTITUDE NASA WB-57 AIRCRAFT PERFORM A SET OF TEST FLIGHTS AND THEN ANALYZE AND COMPARE THE FLIGHT DATA TO RADIOSONDE DATA TO VALIDATE THE PERFORMANCE (ACCURACY AND PRECISION) OF GROAWL WIND MEASUREMENTS. ADDITIONAL SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS OF THE FLIGHT DATA WILL INCLUDE STUDIES OF THE FREQUENCY AND IMPACT OF CLOUD RETURNS AND PRESENCE OF 532 NM AEROSOL BACKSCATTER AT THE SUB-AIRCRAFT ALTITUDES. UNDER THE AOVT EFFORT AN OPTION TO ADVANCE TRL OF KEY COMPONENTS IN THE SYSTEM WILL INCLUDE LASER LIFETIME TESTING AT 532 NM INTERFEROMETER ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING AND JOINT LASER AND INTERFEROMETER SYSTEM TESTING. THE AOVT WILL BE A 24 MONTH EFFORT AND WILL BRING THE GROAWL SYSTEM FROM TRL 3 TO AIRCRAFT TRL6. IF THE OPTIONS ARE EXERCISED SOME OF THE COMPONENTS WILL BE BROUGHT TO SPACE TRL6.