AiroTEC CMRU Participates in Airborne Research with NASA
Using the Douglas DC-8 Aircraft for Tropospheric
Air Quality Monitoring in Thailand
Dr. Ratchaphon Samphutthanont , Director of AiroTEC at Chiang Mai Rajabhat University, was honored to be invited by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), and the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) to participate in the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality (ASIA-AQ) project. This project involves collecting airborne particulate matter data to study the scientific factors affecting air quality and PM 2.5 issues in Thailand using NASA’s Douglas DC-8 aircraft at U-Tapao Airport in Rayong Province from March 15–18 and March 22–26, 2024.
During this project, Dr. Ratchaphon had the opportunity to fly aboard the DC-8, a large aircraft equipped with over 25 scientific instruments capable of collecting more than 100 air quality data points, particularly vertical profile data from altitudes ranging from 50 to 11,000 feet in the lower troposphere. He participated in a flight on March 25, 2024, which started at U-Tapao Airport and followed a route to Don Mueang Airport, Sukhothai Airport, Chiang Mai, Phrae, Phitsanulok, and back to U-Tapao, completing two circuits.
The ASIA-AQ project is an international collaboration that includes ground measurement installations, airborne air quality surveys using NASA’s DC-8 and G-III aircraft, and satellite measurements with the GEMS and TROPOMI satellite systems. This cooperation enables scientists to obtain a wide range of detailed data to analyze air quality, understand its behavior, and ultimately contribute to problem-solving efforts.
Photos and news by: Public Relations Team, AiroTEC Center, Chiang Mai Rajabhat University