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Low-flying NASA plane starts sniffing farm air over Texas to measure methane, ammonia and other emissions
In brief
A NASA research aircraft is flying low over farmland near Amarillo, Texas, from Thursday, October 22, through Monday, November 9, 2026. The flights are part of NASA's FarmFlux mission, which uses more than a dozen sensors to measure ozone, methane, ammonia, tiny particles and other pollutants rising from farms, starting with animal feeding operations.
What the plane is measuring
The Dynamic Aviation A200 aircraft is carrying instruments that measure gases and particles coming off livestock farms and crop land, and how they mix into the atmosphere. NASA calls agricultural emissions an important but understudied part of the land and air system. The mission is led jointly by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Colorado State University and Boston University. NASA corrected its original October 15 announcement to fix the location of the flights, which are near Amarillo.
More flights in 2027
A second round of low-altitude flights with NASA's larger P-3 Orion aircraft is planned for the March to July 2027 growing season over the Midwest and California's Central Valley, this time focusing on crop land. If you live near Amarillo and see a small plane flying unusually low over fields in the coming weeks, this is likely why.
VSH take: satellites can spot big plumes, but measuring what drifts off a single feedlot needs an aircraft flying close to the ground, which makes this a neat example of hands-on science. Keep exploring with our Live Earth from space maps and air quality page, and convert flight altitudes in feet to metres with the unit converter. Earlier today we covered NASA's faster way of picking science missions.
This is our own summary of a NASA announcement. ViralScopeHub is not affiliated with NASA.
Why it matters
Better measurements of farm emissions can help scientists understand air quality and climate, and improve how farm pollution is estimated.
People also ask
What is NASA's FarmFlux mission?
A NASA-led study that flies low-altitude research aircraft with more than a dozen sensors to measure ozone, methane, ammonia, particles and other pollutants from farms.
When and where are the flights?
Near Amarillo, Texas, from Thursday, October 22, through Monday, November 9, 2026.
Who leads the mission?
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Colorado State University and Boston University.
Related free tools: Unit Converter, Countdown Timer to a Date
Sources
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