Around the World in 11 Research Flights: Behind the Scenes of the ATom Mission

  • Released Thursday, October 5, 2017
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For the Atmospheric Tomography (ATom) mission, researchers and flight technicians from NASA and its partners are flying around the world, collecting atmospheric samples and studying air quality.

This is the the third ATom campaign, studying the atmosphere during autumn in the northern hemisphere.

ATom campaigns last a long time -- almost a full month -- and require the researchers and crew to travel the whole time. Rather than work from one static location, the ATom team uses NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory as a home base.

Atmospheric scientist Róisín Commane and ATom principal investigator Steven Wofsy gave a look behind the scenes at a month on a research plane.

Atmospheric scientist Róisín Commane talks about the secrets to a successful field campaign: plenty of snacks and getting enough sleep.

Music: Digital Lives by Ben Wheeler [PRS], Theo Golding [PRS]

ATom principal investigator Steven Wofsy and atmospheric scientist Róisín Commane talk about the Azores Islands -- their favorite stop on the ATom flights around the world.

Music: Digital Lives by Ben Wheeler [PRS], Theo Golding [PRS]

ATom principal investigator Steven Wofsy and atmospheric scientist Róisín Commane explain how they pack for a trip that takes them all around the world.

Music: Digital Lives by Ben Wheeler [PRS], Theo Golding [PRS]

Complete transcript available.

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This page was originally published on Thursday, October 5, 2017.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:47 PM EDT.

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