• New NASA Sensor Goes Hunting for Critical Minerals A pilot signals to a crew member before takeoff from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Aug. • Accompanying him in the high-flying ER-2 aircraft is one of the most advanced imaging spectrometers in the solar system. • Called AVIRIS-5, it’s the latest in a long line of sensors pioneered by NASA JPL to survey Earth, the Moon, and other worlds. • Cradled in the nose of a high-altitude research airplane, a new NASA sensor has taken to the skies to help geoscientists map rocks hosting lithium and other critical minerals on Earth’s surface some 60,000 feet below. • In collaboration with the U.S. • Geological Survey (USGS), the flights are part of the largest airborne campaign of its kind in the country’s history.
Article Summaries:
- NASA’s new Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer‑5 (AVIRIS‑5) has begun flights on a high‑altitude research aircraft to map surface deposits of lithium and other critical minerals. Mounted in the plane’s nose, the sensor uses reflected sunlight to detect the unique spectral fingerprints of minerals, enabling geoscientists to identify resource‑rich rocks from 60,000 feet above the ground. In partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, the campaign is the largest airborne mineral‑mapping effort in U.S. history. AVIRIS‑5 builds on decades of JPL imaging‑spectrometer technology that has also explored planetary surfaces and supports NASA’s Artemis and other missions.
Sources: