tempo_cover_image.jpg TEMPO will be the first space-based instrument to monitor major air pollutants hourly in high spatial resolution in North America from Mexico City to the Canadian oil sands and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Credits: NASA

Media are invited to a joint briefing with NASA and The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory at 9 a.m. EDT Tuesday, March 14, to discuss the first space-based instrument to observe major air pollutants across North America every hour during the daytime.

NASA’s TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) instrument will improve life on Earth by revolutionizing the way scientists observe air quality. A partnership between NASA and the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, TEMPO will launch on a commercial mission as early as April.

A live stream of the briefing will air on NASA TV, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

The briefing participants are:

• Barry Lefer, tropospheric composition program manager, NASA
• Laura Judd, Applied Sciences Health and Air Quality associate program manager, NASA
• Christopher Browne, John and Adrienne Mars director, National Air and Space Museum
• Ellen Stofan, under secretary for Science and Research, Smithsonian Institution
• Caroline Nowlan, atmospheric physicist, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
• Erika Wright, education specialist, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, Sixth St., and Independence Ave., in Washington. Check in will begin at 8:30 a.m.

Media interested in attending in person should RSVP before arrival to Alison Mitchell at mitchellac@si.edu and 202-633-2376 or Kevin Lamparter at lamparterk@si.edu and 202-633-2347. Media also may join via teleconference by RSVPing no more than one hour prior to the start of the event to Joe Atkinson at joseph.s.atkinson@nasa.gov.

TEMPO will be the first space-based instrument to monitor major air pollutants hourly in high spatial resolution – down to four square miles – in a region stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the Canadian oil sands to below Mexico City, encompassing the entire continental United States. 

The instrument is a payload on the satellite Intelsat 40E. It was built by Ball Aerospace and integrated onto Intelsat 40E by Maxar. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is part of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. 

For more information on NASA Earth science, visit:

https://nasa.gov/earth

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Press Contacts

Karen Fox
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1275
karen.fox@nasa.gov 

Joe Atkinson
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
757-755-5375
joseph.s.atkinson@nasa.gov

Nadia Whitehead
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
617-721-7371
nadia.whitehead@cfa.harvard.edu

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