NASA To Begin Air Quality Study Flights Over MD/DC
BALTIMORE (AP) -- NASA says low-level flights over the Baltimore-Washington traffic corridor to improve satellite monitoring of air quality are set to begin.
The first flight is scheduled Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Satellites already monitor air pollution, but researchers say it is difficult to use measurements from space to detect pollution near the ground. The flights will use two aircraft, one flying at higher altitude to take readings similar to those gathered by satellites, and the other at lower altitudes. The flights will be coordinated with six ground observation sites from the D.C. Beltway to northeast of Baltimore.
The flight path will take the lower plane over Interstate 95 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
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