Metro Manila residents can expect to see a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) aircraft flying at low altitude from Feb. 5 to 14 for air quality research in the metropolis and its surrounding regions.
Earlier, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga announced that the Philippines will be part of an international collaboration with NASA to study and address air quality issues in the Asian region.
In a media advisory, NASA said it is planning to carry out four research flights over the Manila urban area using its DC-8 aircraft.
“All flyovers are conducted at a safe altitude without harm to public, wildlife, or infrastructure,” it noted.
Meanwhile, NASA has advised anyone who are sensitive to loud noises to be mindful of the flyover window due to the aircraft's loudness.
To track the NASA DC-8 aircraft in real-time, interested individuals can visit the [NASA Airborne Science Tracker](https://airbornescience.nasa.gov/tracker/#!/status/list) or use flight tracking apps, searching for the tail number NASA817.
Engineers and air quality specialists of DENR’s Environmental Management Burea (EMB) are participating in the research flights to gain insights from NASA scientists, said DENR.
Flying laboratory
NASA said its Douglas DC-8 aircraft, which will be flying over Metro Manila at low altitude, is highly modified as a flying science laboratory
“The aircraft is based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center Building 703 in Palmdale, California and is used to collect data for experiments in support of projects serving the world’s scientific community,” it said.
“Federal, state, academic, and foreign researchers are among those who use NASA’s DC-8.”
NASA noted that data collected by the aircraft at flight height and via remote sensing have been used for research in archaeology, ecology, geography, hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, volcanology, atmospheric chemistry, cryospheric science, soil science, and biology.
The DC-8 is used for four types of missions, including sensor development, satellite sensor verification, space vehicle launch or re-entry telemetry data retrieval and optical tracking, and various studies of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, the Space Agency added.
ASIA-AQ
The joint effort, dubbed as Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ), included international experts from NASA in the United States, Korea’s National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), in South Korea, the DENR in the Philippines, and agencies in other Southeast Asian nations.
“In the Philippines, this long-term collaboration also involves the Philippine Space Agency, Manila Observatory, Ateneo de Manila University, and University of the Philippines,” NASA stated.
According to the Space Agency, the ASIA-AQ seeks to increase understanding of the factors that influence local air quality in Asia through multi-perspective observations and modelling.
NASA said its strategy is to collect airborne samples from three to five places in partnership with local scientists, air quality agencies, and other relevant government partners.
“Combining satellite, ground-based, and airborne observations in the region for the first time, the campaign seeks to understand local air quality issues as well as common challenges in the interpretation of satellite observations and modeling of air quality,” it said.