NASA uses space technology to prevent environmental pollution

Space technology will help monitor the level of environmental pollution at global scale.

We often think of NASA as an aerospace organization with great goals such as exploring and conquering distant planets in space. However, this agency is also cultivating a number of major projects to make practical and closer contributions to public health.

NASA's scientific research activities focus primarily on understanding the Earth better thanks to the Earth Observing System, which promotes research in solar physics (Heliophysics), examination destroying celestial bodies throughout the Solar System, and studying topics related to Astrophysics.

NASA is currently working with the European Space Agency and the Korean government to develop a plan to launch a series of sensors that identify air pollution into space. This plan aims to monitor and monitor air pollutants from Earth orbit. This project, called TEMPO, will help provide a more accurate picture of how toxic substances spread in the atmosphere today.

The TEMPO sensor sensor satellite system provides extremely accurate and detailed results.(Image source: cfa.harvard.edu).

"Air pollution is really a global problem," said NASA scientist Barry Lefer, who currently manages the TEMPO project. "Pollution caused by the United States can spread to Europe, pollution from Asia can spread back to the US Currently, satellites are the best way to monitor the progress of global pollution levels.

The TEMPO, when it reached its peak, would form a dense and uniform sensor system covering the entire Earth. And they can help determine the location of an amount of air pollutants even at very small sizes. However, perhaps the daring project will take many more years to become a reality.

NASA plans to launch the first phase of this project in May this year. Satellite sensors will begin collecting air pollution data from the Korean peninsula and begin to spread across the entire Asia-Pacific region.

NASA has been conducting pollution data collection activities for decades. However, many technologies and equipment have become obsolete. In addition, the results do not reach absolute accuracy because NASA does not directly study contaminants. Instead, they will evaluate the types of light scattered from matter particles in the atmosphere. Each type of seed will create a different kind of light. This phenomenon called "spectral fingerprint" helps scientists determine the composition of substances in the air.

Each year, air pollution is responsible for more than 150,000 deaths in the United States and more than 2 million deaths in the Western Pacific region, including China and South Korea. Scientists at NASA hope that the TEMPO project will help environmental agencies around the world increase their effectiveness in preventing environmental pollution.