High-flying NASA ‘NACHOS’ Instrument May Predict Volcanic Eruptions
February 21, 2022 | NASAEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
NASA is launching a prototype instrument that could make it easier to monitor volcanic activity and air quality. Perched aboard a CubeSat about 300 miles (480 kilometers) above Earth’s surface, the “Nanosat Atmospheric Chemistry Hyperspectral Observation System,” or NACHOS, will use a compact hyperspectral imager to locate sources of trace gases in areas as small as 0.15 square miles (0.4 square kilometers) – about the size of the Mall of America in Minnesota. NACHOS is part of Northrop Grumman’s 17th resupply mission to the International Space Station from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.
If successful, NACHOS will be the smallest, highest resolution space-based instrument dedicated to monitoring atmospheric trace gases like sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide, paving the way for future Earth-observing systems that will not only help predict volcanic eruptions, but also monitor air quality around specific cities, neighborhoods, and even individual power plants.
“A dormant volcano just waking up may emit SO2 before there is any detectable seismic activity. That gives us a chance to identify a potentially erupting volcano before it actually blows,” said Steve Love, a researcher and task lead with the Space and Remote Sensing Group at the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
Atmospheric trace gases from natural and human-made sources provide scientists with unique insights into a wide variety of Earth systems. For example, nitrogen dioxide, often produced by burning fossil fuels, negatively impacts human health and can serve as a tracer for carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change) that results from human activity.
“When we recognize that these gases are present and can localize their sources on a sub-kilometer scale, we have the opportunity to take action and minimize negative health outcomes,” said Love.
But monitoring trace gases requires instruments sensitive enough to gather high-resolution data; traditionally, that’s meant creating larger satellites equipped with a full suite of powerful sensors.
“There are excellent instruments in orbit gathering data on atmospheric trace gases, but they are expensive to produce and maintain. If we want to expand this scientific capability, we’ll need a more cost-effective solution,” said Love.
At just 13 pounds (6 kilograms) and 18 cubic inches (300 centimeters cubed), NACHOS is well qualified to become that solution. In addition to an ultra-compact hyperspectral imager capable of gathering high-resolution data, NACHOS also uses onboard processing algorithms, which reduce both the size of its data transmissions and the amount of time it takes to relay those transmissions back to Earth.
These algorithms run particularly well on small computers, giving NACHOS large amounts of computational power without increasing the instrument’s size or weight.
“More power and less weight set NACHOS apart and make it an excellent candidate for future atmospheric trace gas missions,” said Love.
NACHOS will remain aboard Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft until May 2022, when the spacecraft will unberth from the International Space Station and place NACHOS in low-Earth orbit before the cargo spacecraft reenters Earth’s atmosphere. Love and his team will spend three months commissioning NACHOS before it begins its technology validation and science mission. He expects NACHOS to remain in orbit for about one year.
“That will give us enough time to verify our instrument design and gather enough test data to ensure our technology concept is feasible,” said Love.
A second NACHOS instrument will head to low-Earth orbit in winter of 2022 as part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Space Test Program.
The prototype is funded through the InVEST program in NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office.
Suggested Items
Koh Young Showcases Award-winning Inspection Solutions at SMTconnect with SmartRep in Hall 4A.225
04/25/2024 | Koh Young TechnologyKoh Young Technology, the industry leader in True 3D measurement-based inspection solutions, will showcase an array of award-winning inspection and measurement solutions at SMTconnect alongside its sales partner, SmartRep, in booth 4A.225 at NürnbergMesse from June 11-13, 2023. The following offers a glimpse into what Koh Young will present at the tradeshow:
Book Excerpt: The Printed Circuit Assembler’s Guide to... Factory Analytics
04/24/2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamIn our fast-changing, deeply competitive, and margin-tight industry, factory analytics can be the key to unlocking untapped improvements to guarantee a thriving business. On top of that, electronics manufacturers are facing a tremendous burden to do more with less. If you don't already have a copy of this book, what follows is an excerpt from the introduction chapter of 'The Printed Circuit Assembler’s Guide to... Factory Analytics: Unlocking Efficiency Through Data Insights' to whet your appetite.
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Industrial Quality Solutions from Zeiss
04/23/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOEditor Nolan Johnson and Herminso Gomez of Zeiss Group discuss the company's industrial quality solutions, with a focus on X-ray technology. Zeiss provides a range of microscopy options and Herminso highlights the advantages of X-ray technology for aerospace, medical, and consumer electronics sectors.
Altair Acquires Cambridge Semantics, Powering Next-Generation Enterprise Data Fabrics and Generative AI
04/22/2024 | AltairAltair a global leader in computational intelligence, acquired Cambridge Semantics, a modern data fabric provider and creator of one of the industry’s leading analytical graph databases.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
04/19/2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineFor my must-read picks of the week, I’m highlighting Parker Capers, a young professional seeking employment, solid counsel from Dan Beaulieu on what your post-show plan should look like, more information and insight on “chiplets” and the need for secure data transfer standards from columnist Preeya Kuray, as well as Matt Stevenson’s design for reality wisdom. It’s a reminder to download one of our newest books (there are several) you don't want to miss if you are an assembler.