On April 8, 2023, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched from Florida, carrying a revolutionary NASA device, the Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument. TEMPO is designed to enable scientists to monitor air pollutants and their emission sources from space more comprehensively than ever before.
What is TEMPO and How Will It Work?
TEMPO will measure pollution and air quality across greater North America on an hourly basis during the daytime. A unique feature of TEMPO is that it will be hosted on an Intelsat communications satellite in geostationary orbit. Geostationary orbit is a common orbit for weather and communications satellites. At an altitude of 22,236 miles above the equator, TEMPO will match the rotation of the Earth, meaning it will stay over the same location — North America — at all times.
Unlike existing pollution-monitoring satellites, which are in low Earth orbit and can only provide observations once a day at a fixed time, TEMPO will be able to measure atmospheric pollution down to a spatial resolution of 4 square miles (10 square kilometers), or neighborhood level. Among the pollutants tracked by TEMPO will be nitrogen dioxide, produced from the combustion of fossil fuels, formaldehyde, and ozone.
What Are the Benefits of TEMPO?
TEMPO will offer several benefits to scientists and policymakers, including:
- Comprehensive monitoring: TEMPO will provide hourly measurements of air pollutants and their sources across North America, allowing scientists to better understand and monitor air quality trends in real-time.
- Improved accuracy: With its high spatial resolution, TEMPO will provide more accurate measurements of air pollution levels, which will help scientists and policymakers make informed decisions on how to address the problem.
- Greater coverage: TEMPO will cover a larger area than existing pollution-monitoring satellites, which will help identify pollution hotspots and sources over a wider geographic region.
- Cost-effective: Hosting TEMPO on a commercial satellite in geostationary orbit will reduce the cost of launching and maintaining the instrument, making it a cost-effective solution for monitoring air pollution.
Why In News
On April 8, 2023, history was made as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Florida, carrying the Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument. TEMPO is a groundbreaking NASA device that can track air pollution over North America with unparalleled accuracy and coverage.
MCQs about Unique Feature of TEMPO
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What is TEMPO?
A. A revolutionary NASA device designed to monitor air pollutants and their emission sources from space.
B. A type of geostationary orbit.
C. A low Earth orbit satellite used for weather and communication purposes.
D. A measure of atmospheric pressure.
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What is the unique feature of TEMPO?
A. Its hosting on an Intelsat communications satellite in geostationary orbit.
B. Its high spatial resolution, which enables it to measure atmospheric pollution down to a neighborhood level.
C. Its coverage of a larger area than existing pollution-monitoring satellites.
D. Its ability to monitor air pollutants and their emission sources from space.
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What pollutants will TEMPO track?
A. Nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, and ozone.
B. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide.
C. Carbon monoxide, methane, and hydrocarbons.
D. Nitrous oxide, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds.
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