Latest news with #AVIRIS-3
Newsweek
24-04-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
NASA Sensor Reveals Unknown Fire in Alabama
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A NASA sensor was able to detect the exact location of a 120-acre fire burning in Alabama which had not yet been reported to officials. The sensor—AVIRIS-3—was flying on board a research plane three miles east of Castleberry, Alabama on March 19, when the imaging spectrometer picked up the large field fire. A scientist on board analyzed the data and was able to map out where the blaze was burning most intensely—in this case, the northeastern edge—and the information was immediately sent to emergency workers on the ground who set off to contain the fire. The sensor picked up the blaze, which had seemingly gone unnoticed and had not yet been reported to officials, and enabled firefighters to limit the spread and save buildings in its potential path. According to NASA, the process—from detection to alerting firefighters—took but a few minutes. The data perfectly illustrated to emergency workers the perimeter of the fire, helping them determine whether it could spread, and where personnel and equipment should go to best tackle the wildfire. The sensor was used to map a wildfire near Castleberry, Alabama, and sent to firefighters who were able to contain the blaze. The sensor was used to map a wildfire near Castleberry, Alabama, and sent to firefighters who were able to contain the blaze. NASA/JPL-Caltech, NASA Earth Observatory Ethan Barrett, fire analyst for the Forest Protection Division of the Alabama Forestry Commission, explained in a statement: "Fire moves a lot faster than a bulldozer, so we have to try to get around it before it overtakes us. These maps show us the hot spots. "When I get out of the truck, I can say, 'OK, here's the perimeter.' That puts me light-years ahead." Robert Green, the AVIRIS program's principal investigator and senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, called it "very agile science"; in March alone, the team used the sensor to map at least 13 wildfires in real time. This is a major development, as data from sensors can take days or weeks to be processed into detailed, multilayered images to be used in research. But by simplifying calibration algorithms, the data can now be processed on a computer as it is happening. Read more NASA tracking bus-sized asteroid approaching Earth NASA tracking bus-sized asteroid approaching Earth And airborne satellite internet connectivity enabled the images to be distributed, in this case to firefighters and researchers on the ground, almost immediately. AVIRIS-3 uses three types of maps: one showing burned areas and smoke, another looking for spots burning particularly hot, including perimeters of ongoing blazes, and another to identify the intensity of the burning. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about space? Let us know via science@
CBS News
14-03-2025
- Science
- CBS News
200 employees of NASA's JPL lost homes in the Eaton Fire. Now the lab is working to protect LA
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which was threatened by the flames of a recent LA wildfire, is working with the state of California on new technologies to monitor the air and water surrounding Los Angeles County's fire-torn communities. JPL, the laboratory behind the first U.S. satellite launched into space, is based in La Cañada Flintridge, one of the communities in northeast LA County affected by the devastating Eaton Fire. About 200 JPL employees lost their homes in the blaze, which killed 17 people in the neighboring community of Altadena just five miles away. The NASA lab, which has collaborated with the state in the past on projects tracking pollution and groundwater levels, will now join state efforts examining water and air quality in LA. While the renowned lab is perhaps best known for its work in outer space, this latest effort will help the state perform research into just how much recent wildfires have polluted water and air in the region — looking to detect contaminants such as lead, black carbon arsenic and other metals. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the new effort in a statement Thursday. Several steps are being taken as part of the new collaboration between NASA's JPL and the state, including the following: Air quality monitoring: 1) The NASA lab is establishing a new air monitoring site in Altadena which will measure levels of gaseous air pollutants as well as harmful particulate airborne matter such as lead and other metals. 2) Together with the California Air Resources Board, JPL is developing a sample collection of particulate matter for filtering and analysis of metal contents. 3) JPL is working on a project out of Caltech, called PHOENIX, which is running an air quality monitoring network that measures airborne dust and ash across Altadena and other communities in the region — offering real-time observations of air quality. Water quality: 1) JPL is offering satellite imaging to monitor the water quality of the Pacific Ocean, a joint effort alongside the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project. 2) The state is working with JPL on deploying X-band radar, ground-based radars to analyze precipitation and clouds, to collect data on storm structures — information that can then be used on initiatives to protect watersheds and monitor post-fire debris flows. 3) JPL's AVIRIS-3 is flying over wildfire burn scars in LA to measure the distribution levels of ash on the ground and air, gathering data that can be used in later sampling and recovery efforts. Newsom's office said JPL is the largest employer of people impacted by the Eaton Fire. The blaze, which broke out the same day as the Palisades Fire, is now considered one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires recorded in state history. "While JPL is known for exploring the farthest reaches of our solar system, their scientists – many directly impacted by these fires – have turned their attention toward helping their neighbors," Newsom said in a statement from his office. The research and development center, managed by Caltech, was threatened by the Eaton Fire in January. Ian Pinkham, an emergency manager at the NASA lab, said days after the fire started that he could see the flames growing closer to the campus. "We are right here, tucked up in the foothills. It was very scary Tuesday night, Wednesday morning," Pinkham told CBS News at the time. "We could see the fire very clearly from here, approaching the lab." With the more than 100-acre campus evacuated, JPL Director Laurie Leshin said it was unusual to see the missions operation room — where staff manage controls and communications that reach beyond the solar system — completely empty.
