In an article from Space On June 27, 2024, we learned that the American space agency (NASA) had begun an innovative process to guide public policies on the environment: flying greenhouse gas detector planes.
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions using a map?
Although this does not seem very logical at first glance, this initiative nevertheless makes sense. Indeed, today, it is easy to detect the quantity of all gases, even those which cause the greenhouse effect and therefore global warming (carbon dioxide in particular).
However, determining its origin is not an easy task. Even if we can indeed target certain places such as factories for example, what about residential areas, agricultural plots…?
That’s why NASA has taken the initiative to use specially designed aircraft: the P3-B Orion Airborne Science Laboratory and the B200 King Air. In this way, its scientific aircraft launched at low altitude can accurately map the areas that emit the most greenhouse gases.
Between June 17 and 26, the American space agency was responsible for flying over the eastern and central United States, between 305 meters and 3 kilometers above sea level. From June 29, it is the western part of the country that will be scrutinized.
NASA also relies on a satellite to map pollution
In addition to the P3-B Orion and B200 aircraft, NASA will also map air pollution using data from the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument.
Installed on a communications satellite in geostationary orbit at an altitude of 36,000 km, the measuring instrument scans the atmospheric layer above the United States and more generally North America in order to detect the main pollutants.
Why does NASA take on environmental missions?
At first glance, NASA is mainly known for its space exploration missions, sending satellites, rockets, probes into space. Themes that could be quite far from the question of protecting the environment.
However, for several years now, the American space agency, in addition to sending ships to the other side of the Solar System, and even further, has used numerous satellites to monitor the evolution of the Earth’s climate.
To get an idea of all the satellites that monitor Earth and its climate, visit the Eyes on the Earth page on the NASA website. Furthermore, the American space agency is also one of the institutions which raise awareness of global warming thanks to its observations which are summarized on the page dedicated to this global phenomenon.
In September 2022, in a briefing given by Katherine Calvin, NASA’s chief climate scientist and senior climate advisor, explained the agency’s role in climate research and science.
Source : Space
