Feed aggregator
India aims for 2028 launch of Venus orbiter as part of ambitious space roadmap
SpaceX practices for epic Starship booster catch attempt (photos)
Io’s Volcanoes are Windows into its Hot Interior
NASA’s Juno spacecraft was sent to Jupiter to study the gas giant. But its mission was extended, giving it an opportunity to study the unique moon Io. Io is the most volcanically active body in the Solar System, with over 400 active volcanoes.
Researchers have taken advantage of Juno’s flybys of Io to study how tidal heating affects the moon.
In recent months, Juno performed several flybys of Io, culminating in one that brought the spacecraft to within 1500 km of the surface. This gave Juno unprecedented close-up views of the volcanic moon. One of its instruments, the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM), is an infrared spectrometer, and its data is at the heart of new research into Io’s volcanic activity and how tidal heating drives it.
The new research letter, “JIRAM Observations of Volcanic Flux on Io: Distribution and Comparison to Tidal Heat Flow Models,” was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Madeline Pettine, a doctoral student in astronomy at Cornell University, is the lead author.
Though Io is dead, the tidal heating that keeps it warm could contribute to habitability elsewhere.
“Studying the inhospitable landscape of Io’s volcanoes actually inspires science to look for life,” said lead author Pettine.
“It’s easier to study tidal heating on a volcanic world rather than peering through a kilometers-thick ice shell that’s keeping the heat covered up.”
Madeline Pettine, Cornell UniversityIo is one of the four Galilean moons. The other three, Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa, are all suspected of having liquid oceans under frozen layers of surface ice. If these oceans truly exist, they could potentially support life. Jupiter’s tidal heating provides the heat to keep those oceans warm. Io is valuable scientifically because we can witness the effects of tidal heating on its surface.
Juno isn’t the only spacecraft to have visited Jupiter’s moon Io. This global view of Io was obtained during the tenth orbit of Jupiter by NASA’s Galileo spacecraft. It’s a false colour image that highlights differences on Io’s surface. Image Credit: NASA“Tidal heating plays an important role in the heating and orbital evolution of celestial bodies,” said co-author Alex Hayes, the Jennifer and Albert Sohn Professor of Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell. “It provides the warmth necessary to form and sustain subsurface oceans in the moons around giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn.”
Io’s volcanoes aren’t distributed evenly on its surface. The majority of them are in the equatorial region. However, in this work, the researchers found that the volcanoes on Io’s poles may act to regulate the moon’s interior temperature.
“I’m trying to match the pattern of volcanoes on Io and the heat flow that they’re producing with the heat flow we expected from theoretical models,” said Pettine.
Jupiter is the most massive planet in the Solar System and its gravitational pull is second only to the Sun’s. Jupiter’s powerful gravity does more than dictate Io’s orbit. It warps the moon and forces it to deform, generating heat.
This simple schematic shows how a planet can create tidal heating on an orbiting moon. The stretching and heating are most extreme when the moon is at its pericenter, the closest distance to the planet. Image Credit: Caltech.“The gravity from Jupiter is incredibly strong,” Pettine said. “Considering the gravitational interactions with the large planet’s other moons, Io ends up getting bullied, constantly stretched and scrunched up. With that tidal deformation, it creates a lot of internal heat within the moon.”
Io has no ocean, so the heat melts rock, creating a likely magma ocean inside the moon. That magma works its way up through the surface, erupting as volcanoes and lava flows. The gases from the magma colour the surface of the moon in reds, yellows, and browns.
To understand what’s happening inside Io, Pettine and her colleagues worked with a mathematical equation called spherical harmonic decomposition. This equation allows scientists to analyze data from a spherical surface and break it down, revealing patterns and important features.
Previous research shows that most of Io’s volcanic activity is in its equatorial region, although some volcanoes have been detected on its poles. In this work, it revealed systems of bright volcanoes at high latitudes.
“Our observations confirm previously detected systems of bright volcanoes at high latitudes,” the authors write. “While our map agrees with previous studies that suggest that low?to mid?latitude areas see the highest areas of volcanic activity, our map suggests that the poles of Io are comparably active to the equator.”
This figure’s perspective shows the sub-Jovian, north-polar view of Io in the left column and the anti-Jovian, south-polar view of Io in the right column. The topmost row shows the coverage map achieved for JIRAM during this study. The second row is a global map of volcanic flux. The hot spot in the north polar region is clear. Image Credit: Pettine et al. 2024.Pettine and her co-researchers compared their global heat flux maps with three different models that attempt to explain what’s going under Io’s surface: the Deep Mantle model, the Asthenospheric model, and the Global Magma model.
The Deep Mantle Model says that tidal heating keeps a large portion of the mantle in a molten state. The Asthenospheric Model says that less of the mantle is molten and that only the asthenosphere is in a molten state due to tidal heating. This is more similar to Earth. The Global Magma Ocean model is a more extreme interpretation of the data and says that a greater portion of Io’s interior is molten, perhaps extending from just below the surface to greater depths.
This figure shows what Io’s surface heat flux should look like for three different interior models. Image Credit: Pettine et al. 2024.The researchers also created a complete global map of heat flux produced by volcanic hot spots. “Viewing this flux on both a linear and a logarithmic scale better illustrates individual volcanic behaviour and global heat flow variations, particularly the lowest-flux regions,” the authors write.
“Our study finds that both poles are comparably active and that the observed flux distribution is inconsistent with an asthenospheric heating model, although the south pole is viewed too infrequently to establish reliable trends,” the authors explain.
These global volcanic flux maps show the average flux in milliwatts per square meter. The top is on a linear scale, while the bottom is on a logarithmic colour scale. The coloured bars and the line plots beside each map show the average flux projected horizontally (to the right of each map) and the average flux projected vertically (below each map) to show trends in flux by latitude and longitude. Image Credit: Pettine et al. 2024.The researchers say that their heat flux maps don’t favour any of the models. “Using spherical decomposition, we find that the distribution of flux is much more uniform than in-line with any of the models,” they write.
For now, a more complete understanding of Io’s tidal heating and volcanic activity is elusive. Juno’s JIRAM observations are just a snapshot of the moon. Over longer time periods, the heat maps will look different and may support different models and conclusions.
“I’m not solving tidal heating with this one paper,” said Pettine. “However, if you think about icy moons in the outer solar system, other moons like Jupiter’s Europa, or Saturn’s Titan and Enceladus, they’re the places that if we’re going to find life in the solar system, it will be one of those places.”
A better understanding of tidal heating will do more than explain aspects of our own Solar System. It may help us understand habitable zones in other solar systems and how exomoons might be heated by giant exoplanets.
Artist’s illustration of a large exomoon orbiting a large exoplanet. While we have no way of observing exomoons, that day will come soon enough. A better understanding of tidal heating will help us understand what we will see. Image Credit: NASA/ESA/L. HustakThat’s why, although Jupiter’s icy moons are prime targets for exploration, with two missions heading to study Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, we need to keep a scientific eye on Io.
“We need to know how the heat is being generated,” Pettine said. “It’s easier to study tidal heating on a volcanic world rather than peering through a kilometers-thick ice shell that’s keeping the heat covered up.”
The post Io’s Volcanoes are Windows into its Hot Interior appeared first on Universe Today.
Why physicists are air-dropping buoys into the paths of hurricanes
Why physicists are air-dropping buoys into the paths of hurricanes
ARMD Solicitations
7 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA / Lillian Gipson/Getty Images
This ARMD solicitations page compiles the opportunities to collaborate with NASA’s aeronautical innovators and/or contribute to their research to enable new and improved air transportation systems. A summary of available opportunities with key dates requiring action are listed first. More information about each opportunity is detailed lower on this page.
University Student Research Challenge
Key date: Nov. 7, 2024
Advanced Air Mobility
Key date: Feb. 1, 2025, at 6 p.m. EST
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations is using this request for information to identify technologies that address current challenges facing the wildland firefighting community. NASA is seeking information on data collection, airborne connectivity and communications solutions, unmanned aircraft systems traffic management, aircraft operations and autonomy, and more. This will support development of a partnership strategy for future collaborative demonstrations.
Interested parties were requested to respond to this notice with an information package no later than 4 pm ET, October 15, 2023, that shall be submitted via https://nari.arc.nasa.gov/acero-rfi. Any proprietary information must be clearly marked. Submissions will be accepted only from United States companies.
View the full RFI Announcement here.
Advanced Air Mobility MissionGENERAL ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY
ANNOUNCEMENT OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
This request for information (RFI) is being used to gather market research for NASA to make informed decisions regarding potential partnership strategies and future research to enable Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). NASA is seeking information from public, private, and academic organizations to determine technical needs and community interests that may lead to future solicitations regarding AAM research and development.
This particular RFI is just one avenue of multiple planned opportunities for formal feedback on or participation in NASA’s AAM Mission-related efforts to develop these requirements and help enable AAM.
The current respond by date for this RFI is Feb. 1, 2025, at 6 p.m. EST.
View the full RFI announcement here.
NASA Research Opportunities in AeronauticsNASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) uses the NASA Research Announcement (NRA) process to solicit proposals for foundational research in areas where ARMD seeks to enhance its core capabilities.
Competition for NRA awards is open to both academia and industry.
The current open solicitation for ARMD Research Opportunities is ROA-2023 and ROA-2024.
Here is some general information to know about the NRA process.
- NRA solicitations are released by NASA Headquarters through the Web-based NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES).
- All NRA technical work is defined and managed by project teams within these four programs: Advanced Air Vehicles Program, Airspace Operations and Safety Program, Integrated Aviation Systems Program, and Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program.
- NRA awards originate from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, Ames Research Center in California, Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, and Armstrong Flight Research Center in California.
- Competition for NRA awards is full and open.
- Participation is open to all categories of organizations, including educational institutions, industry, and nonprofits.
- Any updates or amendments to an NRA is posted on the appropriate NSPIRES web pages as noted in the Amendments detailed below.
- ARMD sends notifications of NRA updates through the NSPIRES email system. In order to receive these email notifications, you must be a Registered User of NSPIRES. However, note that NASA is not responsible for inadvertently failing to provide notification of a future NRA. Parties are responsible for regularly checking the NSPIRES website for updated NRAs.
Amendment 1
Amendment 1 to the NASA ARMD Research Opportunities in Aeronautics (ROA) 2024 NRA has been posted on the NSPIRES web site at https://nspires.nasaprs.com.
The announcement solicits proposals from accredited U.S. institutions for research training grants to begin the academic year. This NOFO is designed to support independently conceived research projects by highly qualified graduate students, in disciplines needed to help advance NASA’s mission, thus affording these students the opportunity to directly contribute to advancements in STEM-related areas of study. AAVP Fellowship Opportunities are focused on innovation and the generation of measurable research results that contribute to NASA’s current and future science and technology goals.
Research proposals are sought to address key challenges provided in Elements of Appendix A.8.
Notices of Intent (NOIs) are not required.
A budget breakdown for each proposal is required, detailing the allocation of the award funds by year. The budget document may adhere to any format or template provided by the applicant’s institution.
Proposals were due by April 30, 2024, at 5 PM ET.
Amendment 2
University Leadership Initiative (ULI) provides the opportunity for university teams to exercise technical and organizational leadership in proposing unique technical challenges in aeronautics, defining multi-disciplinary solutions, establishing peer review mechanisms, and applying innovative teaming strategies to strengthen the research impact.
Research proposals are sought in six ULI topic areas in Appendix D.4.
Topic 1: Safe, Efficient Growth in Global Operations (Strategic Thrust 1)
Topic 2: Innovation in Commercial High-Speed Aircraft (Strategic Thrust 2)
Topic 3: Ultra-Efficient Subsonic Transports (Strategic Thrust 3)
Topic 4: Safe, Quiet, and Affordable Vertical Lift Air Vehicles (Strategic Thrust 4)
Topic 5: In-Time System-Wide Safety Assurance (Strategic Thrust 5)
Topic 6: Assured Autonomy for Aviation Transformation (Strategic Thrust 6)
This NRA will utilize a two-step proposal submission and evaluation process. The initial step was a short mandatory Step-A proposal, which was due May 29, 2024. Those offerors submitting the most highly rated Step-A proposals will be invited to submit a Step-B proposal. All proposals must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES at https://nspires.nasaprs.com. An Applicant’s Workshop was held on Thursday April 3, 2024; 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET (https://uli.arc.nasa.gov/applicants-workshops/workshop8)
Amendment 3
Commercial Supersonic Technology seeks proposals for a fuel injector design concept and fabrication for testing at NASA Glenn Research Center.
The proposal for the fuel injector design aims to establish current state-of-the-art in low NOx supersonic cruise while meeting reasonable landing take-off NOx emissions. The technology application timeline is targeted for a supersonic aircraft with entry into service in the 2035+ timeframe.
These efforts are in alignment with activities in the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate as outlined in the NASA Aeronautics Strategic Implementation Plan, specifically Strategic Thrust 2: Innovation in Commercial High-Speed Aircraft.
Proposals were due by May 31, 2024 at 5 pm EDT.
Amendment 4
NEW AS OF SEPT. 20, 2024
University Student Research Challenge seeks to challenge students to propose new ideas/concepts that are relevant to NASA Aeronautics. USRC will provide students, from accredited U.S. colleges or universities, with grants for their projects and with the challenge of raising cost share funds through a crowdfunding campaign. The process of creating and implementing a crowdfunding campaign acts as a teaching accelerator – requiring students to act like entrepreneurs and raise awareness about their research among the public.
The solicitation goal can be accomplished through project ideas such as advancing the design, developing technology or capabilities in support of aviation, by demonstrating a novel concept, or enabling advancement of aeronautics-related technologies.
Notices of Intent are not required for this solicitation.
Proposals are due Nov. 7, 2024.
Proposals can also be submitted later and evaluated in the second and third cycles.
The USRC Q&A/Info Session and Proposal Workshop will be held on the days/times below. Please join us on TEAMS using the Meeting Link, or call in via +1 256-715-9946,,317928116#.
USRC CycleInformation Session/Q&A DateProposal Due DateCycle 1Sept. 20, 2024 at 2 pm ETNov. 7, 2024Cycle 2Jan. 27, 2025 at 2 pm ETMarch 13, 2025Cycle 3May 12, 2024 at 2 pm ETJune 25, 2025 ROA-2023 NRA AmendmentsAmendment 5 (Expired)
Amendment 4 (Expired)
(Full text here)
Amendment 3 (Expired)
(Full text here)
Amendment 2 (Expired)
(Full text here)
Amendment 1 (Expired)
(Full text here)
Aeronautics STEM
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)
Aeronáutica en español
Share Details Last Updated Sep 23, 2024 EditorJim BankeContactJim Bankejim.banke@nasa.gov Related TermsAstronaut captures stunning timelapse of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS from ISS (video)
NASA Awards $1.5 Million at Watts on the Moon Challenge Finale
NASA has awarded a total of $1.5 million to two U.S. teams for their novel technology solutions addressing energy distribution, management, and storage as part of the agency’s Watts on the Moon Challenge. The innovations from this challenge aim to support NASA’s Artemis missions, which will establish long-term human presence on the Moon.
This two-phase competition has challenged U.S. innovators to develop breakthrough power transmission and energy storage technologies that could enable long-duration Moon missions to advance the nation’s lunar exploration goals. The final phase of the challenge concluded with a technology showcase and winners’ announcement ceremony Friday at Great Lakes Science Center, home of the visitor center for NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.
“Congratulations to the finalist teams for developing impactful power solutions in support of NASA’s goal to sustain human presence on the Moon,” said Kim Krome-Sieja, acting program manager for NASA Centennial Challenges at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “These technologies seek to improve our ability to explore and make discoveries in space and could have implications for improving power systems on Earth.”
The winning teams are:
- First prize ($1 million): H.E.L.P.S. (High Efficiency Long-Range Power Solution) of Santa Barbara, California
- Second prize ($500,000): Orbital Mining Corporation of Golden, Colorado
Four teams were invited to refine their hardware and deliver full system prototypes in the final stage of the competition, and three finalist teams completed their technology solutions for demonstration and assessment at NASA Glenn. The technologies were the first power transmission and energy storage prototypes to be tested by NASA in a vacuum chamber mimicking the freezing temperature and absence of pressure found at the permanently shadowed regions of the Lunar South Pole. The simulation required the teams’ power systems to demonstrate operability over six hours of solar daylight and 18 hours of darkness with the user three kilometers (nearly two miles) away from the power source.
During this competition stage, judges scored the finalists’ solutions based on a Total Effective System Mass (TESM) calculation, which measures the effectiveness of the system relative to its size and weight – or mass – and the total energy provided by the power source. The highest-performing solution was identified based on having the lowest TESM value – imitating the challenges that space missions face when attempting to reduce mass while meeting the mission’s electrical power needs.
Team H.E.L.P.S. (High Efficiency Long-Range Power Solution) from University of California, Santa Barbara, won the grand prize for their hardware solution, which had the lowest mass and highest efficiency of all competitors. The technology also featured a special cable operating at 800 volts and an innovative use of energy storage batteries on both ends of the transmission system. They also employed a variable radiation shield to switch between conserving heat during cold periods and disposing of excess heat during high power modes. The final 48-hour test proved their system design effectively met the power transmission, energy storage, and thermal challenges in the final phase of competition.
Orbital Mining Corporation, a space technology startup, received the second prize for its hardware solution that also successfully completed the 48-hour testwith high performance. They employed a high-voltage converter system coupled with a low-mass cable and a lithium-ion battery.
“The energy solutions developed by the challenge teams are poised to address NASA’s space technology priorities,” said Amy Kaminski, program executive for Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “These solutions support NASA’s recently ranked civil space shortfalls, including in the top category of surviving and operating through the lunar night.”
During the technology showcase and winners’ announcement ceremony, NASA experts, media, and members of the public gathered to see the finalist teams’ technologies and hear perspectives from the teams’ participation in the challenge. After the winners were announced, event attendees were also welcome to meet NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen.
The Watts on the Moon Challenge is a NASA Centennial Challenge led by NASA Glenn. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center manages Centennial Challenges, which are part of the agency’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA contracted HeroX to support the administration of this challenge.
For more information on NASA’s Watts on the Moon Challenge, visit:
-end-
Jasmine Hopkins
Headquarters, Washington
321-432-4624
jasmine.s.hopkins@nasa.gov
Lane Figueroa
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034
lane.e.figueroa@nasa.gov
Brian Newbacher
Glenn Research Center, Cleveland
216-469-9726
Brian.t.newbacher@nasa.gov
1st results of XRISM X-ray space telescope reveal black hole and supernova secrets
Meet the SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts launching to the International Space Station Sept. 26
'Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy': How its creators pieced together a playful classic (exclusive)
Deforestation is partly to blame for Amazon's worst-ever drought
Deforestation is partly to blame for Amazon's worst-ever drought
Astronauts may need medical evacuation from one-third of moon missions
Astronauts may need medical evacuation from one-third of moon missions
Everything we know about 'Mickey 17'
Honoring Hidden Figures
Honoring Hidden Figures
Joylette Hylick, left, and Katherine Moore, right, accept the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of their mother, Katherine Johnson, during a Sept. 18, 2024, ceremony recognizing NASA’s Hidden Figures.
Katherine Johnson, Dr. Christine Darden, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary W. Jackson were awarded Congressional Gold Medals in recognition of their service to the United States. A Congressional Gold Medal was also awarded in recognition of all the women who served as computers, mathematicians, and engineers at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and NASA between the 1930s and 1970s.
See more photos from the ceremony.
Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
NASA Data Helps Protect US Embassy Staff from Polluted Air
NASA’s Earth Observatory
United States embassies and consulates, along with American citizens traveling and living abroad, now have a powerful tool to protect against polluted air, thanks to a collaboration between NASA and the U.S. State Department.
Since 2020, ZephAir has provided real-time air quality data for about 75 U.S. diplomatic posts. Now, the public tool includes three-day air quality forecasts for PM2.5, a type of fine particulate matter, for all the approximately 270 U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. These tiny particles, much smaller than a grain of sand, can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing respiratory and cardiovascular problems.
“This collaboration with NASA showcases how space-based technology can directly impact lives on the ground,” said Stephanie Christel, climate adaptation and air quality monitoring program lead with the State Department’s Greening Diplomacy Initiative. “This is not something the State Department could have done on its own.” For instance, placing air quality monitors at all U.S. diplomatic posts is prohibitively expensive, she explained.
“NASA’s involvement brings not only advanced technology,” she added, “but also a trusted name that adds credibility and reliability to the forecasts, which is invaluable for our staff stationed abroad.”
The forecasts, created using NASA satellite data, computer models, and machine learning, are crucial for U.S. embassies and consulates, where approximately 60,000 U.S. citizens and local staff work. Many of these sites are in regions with few local air quality monitors or early warning systems for air pollution.
“ZephAir’s new forecasting capability is a prime example of NASA’s commitment to using our data for societal benefit,” said Laura Judd, an associate program manager for Health and Air Quality at NASA. “Partnering with the State Department allows us to extend the reach of our air quality data, providing embassies and local communities worldwide with vital information to protect public health.”
Enhancing Health, Safety with NASA Air Quality DataTo manage air pollution exposure, the tool can assist diplomatic staff with decisions on everything from building ventilation to outdoor activities at embassy schools.
For many embassies, especially in regions with severe air pollution, having reliable air quality forecasts is crucial for safeguarding staff and their families, influencing both daily decisions and long-term planning. “Air quality is a top priority for my family as we think about [our next assignment], so having more information is a huge help,” said Alex Lewis, a political officer at the U.S. embassy in Managua, Nicaragua.
A screenshot of the ZephAir web dashboard featuring air quality forecasts for Managua, Nicaragua. U.S. Department of State
Previously, ZephAir only delivered data on current PM2.5 levels using air quality monitors on the ground from about 75 U.S. diplomatic locations and about 50 additional sources. Now, the enhanced tool provides PM2.5 forecasts for all sites, using the Goddard Earth Observing System forward processing (GEOS-FP), a weather and climate computer model. It incorporates data on tiny particles or droplets suspended in Earth’s atmosphere called aerosols from MODIS (Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites.
Aerosols are tiny airborne particles that come from both natural sources, like dust, volcanic ash, and sea spray, and from human activities, such as burning fossil fuels. PM2.5 refers to particles or droplets that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller in diameter — about 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair.
“We use the GEOS-FP model to generate global aerosol forecasts,” said Pawan Gupta, of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the lead scientist on the project. “Then we calibrate the forecasts for embassy locations, using historical data and machine learning techniques.”
As of August 2024, the forecasting feature is available on the ZephAir web and mobile platforms.
The new forecasts are about more than just protecting U.S. citizens and local embassy staff; they are also contributing to global action on air quality. The State Department engages with local governments and communities to raise awareness about air quality issues. “These forecasts are a critical part of our strategy to mitigate the impacts of air pollution not only for our personnel but also for the broader community in many regions around the world,” Christel said.
Officials with the Greening Diplomacy Initiative partnered with NASA through the Health and Air Quality Applied Sciences Team to develop the new forecasts and will continue the collaboration through support from the Satellite Needs Working Group.
Looking ahead, the team aims to expand ZephAir’s capabilities to include ground-level ozone data, another major pollutant that can affect the health of embassy staff and local communities.
By Emily DeMarco
NASA’s Earth Science Division, Headquarters