Heads up: NASA aircraft to perform low-level maneuvers over California for science
Two specialized NASA research aircraft will be carrying out low-level flights and maneuvers over California next week to collect data on air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, the agency has announced.
The research flights will take place between June 29 and July 2 over the Los Angeles Basin, the Central Valley, and the Salton Sea.
"Pilots will operate the aircraft at altitudes lower than typical commercial flights, executing specialized maneuvers such as vertical spirals between 1,000 and 10,000 feet, circling above power plants, landfills, and urban areas," according to a NASA statement. "The flights will also include occasional missed approaches at local airports and low-altitude flybys along runways to collect air samples near the surface."
The aircraft, a NASA-owned P-3 and a NASA-contracted King Air B200, will make their appearance in the skies over California after completing similar research over the East Coast on June 26, officials said.
The planes have been gathering data over Philadelphia, Baltimore and several cities in Virginia since June 22.
The upcoming missions are being conducted under NASA's Student Airborne Research Program, NASA representatives said.
"The program is an eight-week summer internship program that provides undergraduate students with hands-on experience in every aspect of a scientific campaign," according to the statement.
Students will help operate the suite of scientific instruments carried aboard the airplanes to gather atmospheric data.
The program both gathers important scientific data and provides young scientists with valuable experience, according to NASA Wallops Flight Facility Chief of Flight Operations Brian Bernth.
"The SARP flights have become mainstays of NASA's Airborne Science Program, as they expose highly competitive STEM students to real-world data gathering within a dynamic flight environment," he said.
"Despite SARP being a learning experience for both the students and mentors alike, our P-3 is being flown and performing maneuvers in some of the most complex and restricted airspace in the country," Bernth added. "Tight coordination and crew resource management is needed to ensure that these flights are executed with precision but also safely."
More information on NASA's Student Airborne Research Program is available online at science.nasa.gov/earth-science.
Related: Is the air quality bad in California? Report finds harmful pollutants plague these areas
Nine California metro areas were ranked in the American Lung Association's 25 worst cities for ozone. Here's which:
Los Angeles-Long Beach: No. 1
Visalia: No. 2
Bakersfield-Delano: No. 3
Fresno-Hanford-Corcoran: No. 5
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad: No. 8
Sacramento-Roseville: No. 11
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland: No. 14
El Centro: No. 17
Redding-Red Bluff: No. 24
The American Lung Association also released the worst 25 cities nationwide pertaining to year-round particle pollution. Here are the places in California that made the list.
Bakersfield-Delano: No. 1
Visalia: No. 2
Fresno-Hanford-Corcoran: No. 3
Los Angeles-Long Beach: No. 5
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland: No. 6
Sacramento-Roseville: No. 14
El Centro: No. 23
The American Lung Association also released the worst 25 cities nationwide pertaining to short-term particle pollution. Here are the places in California that made the list.
Bakersfield-Delano: No. 1
Visalia: No. 3
Fresno-Hanford-Corcoran: No. 5
Reno-Carson City-Gardnerville Ranchos (both Nevada and California): No. 6
Los Angeles-Long Beach: No. 7
Sacramento-Roseville: No. 10
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland: No. 11
Redding-Red Bluff: No. 16
California Connect reporter Paris Barraza contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Heads up: NASA aircraft to perform low-level maneuvers over California
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