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3mo ago

NASA to Launch Student Airborne Research Flights Over East and West Coasts

Undergraduates will join an eight-week internship to operate onboard instruments for atmospheric sampling.

Two NASA aircraft, including the P-3 shown here, will be flying over Baltimore, Philadelphia, Virginia and California between June 17 and July 2, to collect data on air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. Credit: NASA/ Zavaleta
NASA plans to fly specially equipped research planes like this Navy P-3 Orion from June 29 to July 2, 2025, at altitudes as low as 1,000 feet over urban areas, power plants and landfills across Southern California as part of a mission to study air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. (2017 AP file photo/Brennan Linsley)
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Overview

  • Flights are scheduled from June 22 to July 2 with operations over East Coast cities including Philadelphia, Baltimore, Hampton, Hopewell and Richmond and over California’s Los Angeles Basin, Salton Sea and Central Valley.
  • NASA’s P-3 Orion based at Wallops Flight Facility carries a six-instrument payload for a combined 40 hours of science flights on each coast.
  • Dynamic Aviation’s King Air B200 will fly simultaneously on an independent profile to complement data gathered by the P-3 Orion.
  • Pilots and interns will execute specialized low-altitude maneuvers such as vertical spirals between 1,000 and 10,000 feet, missed approaches and flybys to collect air samples.
  • The eight-week Student Airborne Research Program internship immerses undergraduates in all facets of airborne science campaigns.