NASA’s DC-8 flying laboratory has flown Earth science missions for more than 25 years under NASA’s Airborne Science Program.//Photo : NASA
Clark, Philippines – NASA has kicked off a series of c, in an ambitious mission to improve the models that help to forecast and fight air pollution.
Millions of deaths each year are linked to air pollution, and improving the ability to identify its sources and behaviour can lead to more accurate warning systems for the public.
Starting this week in the Philippines, the US agency’s DC-8 is flying for up to eight hours at a time — sometimes just 15 metres (50 feet) from the ground — to swoop up air particles for study.
“We can provide direct measurements of how much pollution is coming from different sources. And that’s one of the primary inputs to the air quality forecasting models,” NASA’s Barry Lefer told reporters…
