Nasa

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite has been scanning Earth for 20 years and now has a long enough record to help support climate change research. AIRS data on Earth’s atmosphere are improving weather forecasts and advancing our understanding of Earth’s climate. AIRS' infrared technology creates 3D maps of air and surface temperature, water vapor, and cloud properties. The infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum is rich in information about gases, especially greenhouse gases such as ozone and carbon dioxide. The advantage of having such an instrument in orbit is the availability of rapid global coverage. AIRS data form a 'fingerprint' of the state of the atmosphere for a given time and place, contributing to climate data for future generations NASA's Aqua satellite, with AIRS onboard, launched into Earth orbit on May 4, 2002.

After more than six months aboard the International Space Station, the astronauts of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission are returning home. The four crew members -- NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, and Tom Marshburn, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer -- will travel back to Earth inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. These crew members contributed to hundreds of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations while aboard the orbiting laboratory. This valuable research helps to prepare humans for future space exploration missions while generating numerous innovations and benefits for humanity on Earth.

Operating from the International Space Station, NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) mission will comprehensively measure the mineral composition of Earth’s mineral dust source regions to help scientists understand how dust particles carried by wind heat or cool our planet as they move through the atmosphere. In addition to potentially influencing warming on regional and global scales, dust can affect cloud formation, air quality, and human health. When deposited in the ocean, dust can also trigger blooms of microscopic algae. To make these measurements, EMIT will use an imaging spectrometer to measure visible and infrared light reflecting from surfaces below. EMIT launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida in 2022, as part of SpaceX’s 25th commercial resupply services mission for NASA.