Latest news with #EMIT
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Micron Launches First Space-Ready Memory Chip To Power AI Missions In Orbit
Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) announced on Tuesday that it has launched a high-density, radiation-tolerant SLC NAND chip, marking its first space-qualified memory product and expanding its footprint in the booming space economy. This 256-gigabit die—engineered for harsh orbital conditions—is now available and positions Micron as the first major memory manufacturer to offer such a solution. Driven by rising demand for AI-enabled edge computing in orbit, Micron targets next-gen aerospace missions with technology enabling autonomous data processing aboard new NAND chip supports AI use cases like anomaly detection and real-time decision-making without relying on Earth-based infrastructure. Micron put the chip through rigorous testing that was aligned with NASA and military standards for radiation exposure, temperature extremes, shock, and vacuum pressure to ensure reliability. These include total ionizing dose (TID) and single event effects (SEE) characterizations, ensuring mission-critical durability. While this marks Micron's first officially space-qualified product, its memory is already in orbit powering NASA's EMIT instrument aboard the International Space Station. In Mercury Systems' solid-state data recorders, Micron's flash memory has supported the capture of massive spectral datasets used in Earth and climate science. As the only U.S.-based memory manufacturer, Micron offers complete supply chain control, a critical advantage for aerospace and defense clients. The company is also investing in its Manassas, Virginia, facility to expand production of NOR, SLC NAND, and long-lifecycle DRAM products. Plans are underway to launch additional space-grade memory solutions tailored for evolving AI and data demands in orbit. By combining ruggedized, high-performance memory with end-to-end supply assurance, Micron is positioning itself as a vital enabler of space-based computing and next-generation aerospace infrastructure. Micron stock gained 35% year-to-date, topping the Nasdaq Composite Index's 9%. The stock surged over 61% in the last three months, topping the index's 29%. Analysts see strong AI demand, improved DRAM pricing, and an expanding High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) portfolio as key growth drivers for Micron. The company raised guidance sharply, with fourth-quarter sales projected at $10.7 billion and EPS at $2.50, fueled by margin gains and a healthier product mix. However, muted PC and smartphone demand continues to pressure NAND prices, and analysts remain cautious. Bank of America's Vivek Arya maintained a Neutral rating, citing persistent startup cost headwinds and limited margin visibility beyond 2025 despite upbeat earnings and long-term AI tailwinds. Price Action: MU stock is trading lower by 3.72% to $109.72 at last check Tuesday. Photo via Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? MICRON TECHNOLOGY (MU): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Micron Launches First Space-Ready Memory Chip To Power AI Missions In Orbit originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Newsweek
19-06-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
Mexican Sewage Flooding Into California Can Be Seen From Space
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 instrument aboard the International Space Station has detected contamination from Mexican sewage that spilled into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California. Why It Matters The Tijuana River flows from Mexico into California and drains into the Pacific Ocean, transporting millions of gallons of untreated sewage along with it. This long-standing issue has raised alarms over its impact on both public health and the environment. What To Know The instrument, known as the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), was originally used to map minerals in desert regions but is now offering insights into water quality. In a recent study, EMIT was able to identify phycocyanin—a pigment found in cyanobacteria—within a massive wastewater plume off the mouth of the Tijuana River. A plume spreads out to sea in this image captured off San Diego by the Sentinel-2 satellite on March 24, 2023. A plume spreads out to sea in this image captured off San Diego by the Sentinel-2 satellite on March 24, 2023. SDSU/Eva Scrivner/NASA Cyanobacteria are an organism capable of causing illness in humans and animals through ingestion or inhalation, NASA said. EMIT operates by analyzing light reflected from Earth's surface, breaking it down into hundreds of visible and infrared color bands. Each material, including pollutants, has a unique spectral signature that allows scientists to identify it. Researchers matched EMIT's satellite data of the Tijuana River plume with results from ground-tested water samples. Both methods identified a spectral signature indicating the presence of phycocyanin. The findings come as Southern California beaches near the United States-Mexico border have repeatedly faced closures due to contamination. Millions of gallons of wastewater enter the Tijuana River annually, emptying into the ocean and posing a health hazard to swimmers and military personnel stationed in the area. San Diego County beaches have seen 1,000 days' worth of closures in recent years, and a report from the Department of Defense's Office of Inspector General documented 1,100 cases of illness among Navy SEALs and other service members exposed to polluted waters. What People Are Saying Christine Lee, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a co-author of the study, said: "From orbit you are able to look down and see that a wastewater plume is extending into places you haven't sampled. "It's like a diagnostic at the doctor's office that tells you, 'Hey, let's take a closer look at this.'" Eva Scrivner, a doctoral student at the University of Connecticut and the study's lead author, said that the findings "show a 'smoking gun' of sorts for wastewater in the Tijuana River plume." What Happens Next Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, stated in May that the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission was expediting an expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, which treats sewage and wastewater from Tijuana, by 10 million gallons per day in an effort to mitigate the crisis.
Gizmodo
13-06-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
NASA Satellite Captures Massive Wastewater Flow off California Coast
Turns out, NASA's spectroscopic imaging tool, EMIT, can detect water pollution. In 2022, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory launched a satellite sensor to map minerals in the Earth's dusty, arid regions. But that's not all it's useful for—in a new study, scientists used the spectroscopic tool to study massive amounts of sewage flowing into the sea off the Southern California coast. Every year, millions of gallons of untreated and treated wastewater are unceremoniously dumped into the Tijuana River, ferrying pollution through communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border before reaching the ocean. In a study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, researchers used Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), a hyperspectral imaging instrument aboard the International Space Station, to examine this nauseating wastewater plume at the Tijuana River delta. Pollution from wastewater isn't pretty. It can bring toxic chemicals, harmful algal blooms, and unfriendly bacteria, which can impact the health of beachgoers. People typically rely on water-quality dashboards to tell them when it's unsafe to swim, but these often rely on field samples, which don't always cover the full extent of the pollution. Collecting those samples also takes time and money, especially in heavily contaminated areas. That's where EMIT comes in. It uses imaging spectroscopy, a technique that captures both spatial and spectral information by measuring sunlight reflected off the Earth's surface. Each image can capture hundreds of wavelengths per pixel, giving scientists detailed insights into the molecular composition and material properties of what's on the ground. This allowed researchers to measure the spectral signature of the wastewater plume. The researchers compared the hyperspectral satellite images taken by EMIT with the spectra of untreated wastewater, diluted wastewater, and seawater sampled near the plume. They also compared EMIT's images with readings from a spectrometer on the ground. They found that water with high wastewater contamination emits a distinct red spectral feature that could allow researchers to monitor the extent of pollution in the future—though the source of that feature is still unclear. The researchers hope that the data can complement efforts to sample water quality near the river's mouth by telling water scientists where to sample. 'From orbit you are able to look down and see that a wastewater plume is extending into places you haven't sampled,' study coauthor Christine Lee, a scientist at JPL in Southern California, said in a statement. 'It's like a diagnostic at the doctor's office that tells you, 'Hey, let's take a closer look at this.'' EMIT has also proven useful for detecting emissions of methane and carbon dioxide from gas leaks, assessing forest health, and estimating snowpack melting rates. Now, EMIT has yet another job. 'The fact that EMIT's findings over the coast are consistent with measurements in the field is compelling to water scientists,' Eva Scrivner, a doctoral student at the University of Connecticut and the study's lead author, said in a statement. 'It's really exciting.'
Newsweek
13-06-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
NASA Satellite Detects Sewage on California Beach
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. Scientists have discovered signs of sewage in the water at a beach in southern California in NASA satellite images. In their study, researchers examined a large wastewater plume at the mouth of the Tijuana River, south of Imperial Beach near San Diego, using NASA's EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation) instrument. EMIT, which orbits the Earth aboard the International Space Station, was able to detect the sewage by observing sunlight reflecting off the planet. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) explained that the EMIT's "advanced optical components split the visible and infrared wavelengths into hundreds of color bands." Scientists were able to differentiate what molecules were present based on their unique spectral "fingerprint" by analyzing each satellite scene pixel by pixel. The EMIT's observations of the Tijuana River plume were compared with water samples tested on the ground. The comparison revealed "a spectral fingerprint pointing to phycocyanin, a pigment in cyanobacteria, an organism that can sicken humans and animals that ingest or inhale it." A stock image of a view from the California side of the United States/Mexico border into Tijuana, where the border fence meets the Pacific Ocean. A stock image of a view from the California side of the United States/Mexico border into Tijuana, where the border fence meets the Pacific Ocean. Getty Paper author and oceanographer Eva Scrivner of the University of Connecticut said that the findings "show a 'smoking gun' of sorts for wastewater in the Tijuana River plume." Christine Lee, a scientist at JPL in Southern California who is a co-author of the study, added: "It's like a diagnostic at the doctor's office that tells you, 'Hey, let's take a closer look at this.'" "From orbit you are able to look down and see that a wastewater plume is extending into places you haven't sampled." Hundreds of millions of liters of untreated wastewater are discharged into the Tijuana River each year. This water brings harmful pollutants through two major cities—with more than three million combined residents—as well through a protected estuarine reserve before emptying into the Pacific Ocean, the researchers note. Contaminated coastal waters not only impact human health but also harm marine ecosystems, fisheries, and wildlife. Scientists have monitored water quality issues, such as harmful algal blooms, for decades using satellite instruments that analyze ocean color. However, other pollutants and harmful bacteria are harder to track as they are more difficult to decipher using traditional satellite sensors. The researchers say that "current monitoring methods are resource-intensive and limited in coverage" and "optical satellite imaging may enable broader spatiotemporal monitoring." The findings of the latest study provide a base for future projects to develop "remote sensing derived wastewater plume maps that also estimate associated water quality parameters such as bacterial concentrations in this system." The scientists concluded: "The ability to do so fills a critical gap in our ability to study how wastewater plumes impact regional biodiversity, local economies and public health at varying spatial and temporal scales." Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about pollution? Let us know via science@ Reference Scrivner, E., Mladenov, N., Biggs, T., Grant, A., Piazza, E., Garcia, S., Lee, C. M., Ade, C., Tufillaro, N., Grötsch, P., Zurita, O., Holt, B., & Sousa, D. (2025). Hyperspectral characterization of wastewater in the Tijuana River Estuary using laboratory, field, and EMIT satellite spectroscopy. Science of The Total Environment, 981.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Space station sensor helps detect water pollutants off California coast
(FOX 5/KUSI) — A sensor on the International Space Station that helps map minerals was able to help track water contaminants off the San Diego coast. According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, researchers involved in a study of the instrument's capabilities found that it could potentially help track some water contaminants faster than traditional means. The instrument is called the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) and it observes sunlight reflecting off the Earth. Recently, EMIT was used to examine the wastewater from the Tijuana River as it emptied into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Imperial Beach. The wastewater has been emptying into the ocean for decades and has harmed ocean and river ecosystems, humans and wildlife. Researchers examined EMIT's images pixel by pixel and were able to identify signs that indicated certain molecules present in specific areas of the image. When they cross-referenced their findings with water testing done on those same areas of the Pacific Ocean, the findings lined up, helping detect phycocyanin, a pigment in cyanobacteria, which can make humans and animals sick. 'From orbit, you are able to look down and see that a wastewater plume is extending into places you haven't sampled,' JPL scientist Christine Lee said in a news release. 'It's like a diagnostic at the doctor's office that tells you, 'Hey, let's take a closer look at this.'' Eva Scrivner, the lead author of the study, said that EMIT could help fill data gaps about polluted sites where traditional water testing could take too much time or money. EMIT was launched in July 2022 and was dedicated to mapping minerals and dust across Earth's deserts, but now researchers have found that it can provide insights about water too. 'The fact that EMIT's findings over the coast are consistent with measurements in the field is compelling to water scientists…It's really exciting,' Scrivner said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
