Those planes flying really low all weekend? That’s just NASA collecting pollution data

Residents in L.A., the Imperial Valley, and the Tulare Basin can expect to hear low-flying planes starting today until Tuesday, July 2, as NASA collects data on air pollutants and greenhouse gasses over landfills, power plants and urban areas at altitudes between 1,000 and 10,000 feet.

About the mission

These flights will double check on the measurements captured by NASA’s TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) mission — which launched a commercial satellite last year to monitor daytime pollutants across the United States, northern Mexico and Canada.

Several of the pollutants NASA is monitoring and collecting samples on include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, and ozone.

It is part of a campaign to support the NASA Student Airborne Research Program , where participants research atmospheric chemistry, air quality, forest ecology, and ocean biology through data collected from aircraft. In addition, students get to participate in field data collection.

The aim is to use this information to support smart climate policy. “The goal is that this data we collect will feed into policy decisions that affect air quality and climate in the region,” said Glenn Wolfe, a research scientist at NASA.

The hardware

NASA will be using a modified P-3B Orion , which has been retrofitted for use as an “airborne science laboratory,” and is also used by the space agency to study ecology, geography, hydrology, atmospheric chemistry, satellite calibration/validation, and other scientific ventures.

In addition to the P-3B Orion, NASA will be using a Beechcraft King Air 200 which will lend support to the mission in various ways.

Track the flights yourself

Check out where the planes are flying here . (Be sure to click on the map to zoom in.)