The western US states have come across many wildfires lately, making it difficult for firefighters to tackle the blazes. However, modern technology has come to the aid of these firefighters. A special piece of equipment fitted on the International Space Station (ISS) is assisting them to tackle these wildfires.
NASA’s ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) is helping firefighters in tackling the huge wildfire in Bootleg, Oregon that started in July and has charred over 400,000 acres of land, burning homes and vehicles as well.
ECOSTRESS to the rescue
The ECOSTRESS technology was added to the ISS in 2018 and is operated by NASA’s JPL. The equipment is capable of measuring the surface temperature of any place on Earth. “Its ability to observe fires of the Northwest U.S. often twice per day at a high spatial resolution (around 70 meters) makes it ideal for tracking fires,” NASA said.
Readings from ECOSTRESS are sent to the Rapid Analytics for Disaster Response (RADR) team at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which uses it to prompt first responders. The equipment has been observing the spread of the Bootleg fire and also looking for any risk to critical infrastructure.
“The capabilities of ECOSTRESS are unique,” NASA said. The space agency also added that satellites that acquire data more frequently “don’t have high enough resolution to track the fine line of the fire front, and satellites with higher resolution than ECOSTRESS cross over the same area much less frequently (every five to 16 days).”
NASA working to make the environment better
NASA points out that while fire crews have several ways to tackle huge blazes, data from satellites that is capable of assisting their efforts is an excellent demonstration of how space-based tech can help people on the ground in a significant way.
NASA has also been working on ways to use sustainable aviation fuel to reduce contrails. The space agency has recently published a new study in collaboration with DLA ATRA aircraft investigating alternative fuels. The study suggests that cleaner-burning jet fuels made of stable resources reduce ice crystal contrails at cruising altitude by 50 to 70 percent.
