Solar Energy News  
EARTH OBSERVATION
New NASA Instruments to Study Air Pollution, Cyclones
by Staff Writers
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Mar 14, 2016


MAIA uses a twin-camera instrument that will make radiometric and polarimetric measurements needed to characterize the sizes, compositions and quantities of particulate matter in air pollution. As part of the MAIA investigation, researchers will combine MAIA measurements with population health records to better understand the connections between aerosol pollutants and health problems such as adverse birth outcomes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and premature deaths.

NASA has selected two proposals for new Earth science investigations, including one from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, that will put new instruments in low-Earth orbit to track harmful particulate air pollutants and study the development of tropical cyclones.

Observations of small atmospheric aerosols from the Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) will be combined with health information to determine the toxicity of different particulate matter types in airborne pollutants over the world's major cities. David Diner of JPL is the principal investigator.

The Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) investigation will develop and launch a constellation of CubeSats to study the development of tropical cyclones through rapid-revisit sampling. William Blackwell of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington is the principal investigator.

The instruments were competitively selected from 14 proposals submitted to NASA's Earth Venture Instrument-3 program. Earth Venture investigations are small, targeted science investigations that complement NASA's larger missions. The National Research Council recommended in 2007 that NASA undertake this type of regularly solicited, quick-turnaround project.

"We are excited to make selections that expand the use of CubeSats for Earth sciences and that make measurements and perform analyses that will have direct societal benefit," said Geoffrey Yoder, deputy associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "These innovative Earth Venture Instruments will join and expand our growing suite of NASA Earth-observing sensors."

MAIA uses a twin-camera instrument that will make radiometric and polarimetric measurements needed to characterize the sizes, compositions and quantities of particulate matter in air pollution. As part of the MAIA investigation, researchers will combine MAIA measurements with population health records to better understand the connections between aerosol pollutants and health problems such as adverse birth outcomes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and premature deaths.

The MAIA team has extensive experience in polarimetry, air pollution and human health. Diner has led numerous polarimetry observations from sub-orbital platforms throughout his career. The team includes partnerships with NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, as well as several universities, federal research organizations and international partners.

TROPICS will consist of 12 CubeSats, each about 1 foot (0.3 meters) long and weighing just 8.5 pounds (3.9 kilograms), that use scanning microwave radiometers to measure temperature, humidity, precipitation and cloud properties. The CubeSats will be launched into three separate orbital planes to enable the overall constellation to monitor changes in tropical cyclones as frequently as every 21 minutes.

The TROPICS team has previous experience developing CubeSats and analyzing satellite measurements of storms, and includes partnerships with NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia; Goddard; several universities; and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The two investigations were selected from NASA's third Earth Venture Instrument competition. The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) mission, selected in 2012 as the first Earth Venture Instrument investigation, will be the first space-based sensor to monitor major chemical air pollutants across North America hourly during daytime. It will share a ride on a commercial satellite as a hosted payload and orbit about 22,000 miles (35,406 kilometers) above the equator.

The second set of investigations, selected in 2014, were the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) and ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS). These instruments will measure changes in global vegetation from the International Space Station, illuminating how forests and ecosystems are affected by changes in climate and land use.

Earth Venture missions are managed by NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder program located at Langley for the Science Mission Directorate. The missions in this program provide an innovative approach to address Earth science research with periodic windows of opportunity to accommodate new scientific priorities. For more information, visit here


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Earth at NASA
Earth Observation News - Suppiliers, Technology and Application






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
EARTH OBSERVATION
Virtual time machine of Earth's geology now in the cloud
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Mar 10, 2016
How did Madagascar once slot next to India? Where was Australia a billion years ago? Cloud-based virtual globes developed by a team led by University of Sydney geologists mean anyone with a smartphone, laptop or computer can now visualise, with unprecedented speed and ease of use, how the Earth evolved geologically. Reported in PLOS ONE, the globes have been gradually made available since ... read more


EARTH OBSERVATION
Stanford scientists make renewable plastic from carbon dioxide and plants

Biofuels from algae: A budding technology yet to become viable

Researchers' new advance in quest for second generation biofuels

Improving biorefineries with bubbles

EARTH OBSERVATION
In emergencies, should you trust a robot

Engineered swarmbots rely on peers for survival

Watch Google's AlphaGo computer take on world's best Go player

Japan 'robo' dogs eyed for quake rescue missions

EARTH OBSERVATION
Xinjiang Goldwind now world's top wind turbine producer

Norway's Statoil makes U.S. wind energy bet

Adwen Chooses Sentient Science For Computational Gearbox Testing

EU boasts of strides in renewable energy

EARTH OBSERVATION
GM buys self-driving technology startup Cruise

China car sales edge down in Feb: industry group

Sweden's Volvo wants standard plugs for electric cars

In crowded Cairo, ride-hailing apps leave cabbies fuming

EARTH OBSERVATION
Converting atmospheric carbon dioxide into batteries

Hundred million degree fluid key to fusion

Multi-scale simulations solve a plasma turbulence mystery

Syracuse chemists combine biology, nanotechnology to create alternate energy source

EARTH OBSERVATION
Germany's 'energy transition' still faces challenges

Russian Scientists Suggest New 'Nuclear Battery' Concept

Abe says Japan 'cannot do without' nuclear power

Global leaders in nuclear innovation gather at SMR and Advanced Reactor Summit in Atlanta

EARTH OBSERVATION
Long march in Bangladesh against Sundarbans power plant

China emissions goals less ambitious than 2015 cuts: plan

Europe 2030: Energy saving to become 'first fuel'

New model maps energy usage of every building in Boston

EARTH OBSERVATION
Eastern US forests more vulnerable to drought than before 1800s

Austin's urban forest

US joins Honduran probe of environmentalist's murder

Thousands attend funeral of slain Honduran environmentalist









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.