Joining us in the studio now is Dr. David Winker, who's going to answer CALIPSO questions. Welcome.
Thank you, Tiffany.
Our first question comes from Max from Crested Butte. First, he says hello from Colorado!
He says, "I'm thinking about the long-term impact of this mission.
Might data from this mission lead to a better understanding of pollution, and humans' role in the health of Earth's atmosphere?"
Well, the short answer is yes, but it will take me a minute to explain.
Pollutants can be either gases or they can be aerosols, which are small particles.
CALIPSO won't see the gases, but it can see the aerosols.
So the sources of pollution are at the surface, and if the pollution is then lifted up into the atmosphere,
if it gets high enough, it can be transported long distances.
And so CALIPSO can see where it's going. For example,
fires in Mexico a few years ago were observed over the United States. They can be carried a long distance.
And so CALIPSO will give us better information on how pollution from one area is contributing to air quality in a different region.