A research jet based in Broomfield, Colorado, will chase wildfire smoke across the West this summer, helping scientists understand how fires can create dangerous weather of their own.
The Gulfstream V is managed by the National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research, or NSF NCAR. As part of NASA’s INSPYRE mission, the jet will fly directly into smoke plumes and clouds created by wildfires.
Instruments inside the aircraft and on its wings will measure soot, gases, and cloud particles in real time…