The blue-white cold of the Arctic Circle holds clues vital to the health of the Earth's atmosphere.
That is why a veteran DC-8 airliner, fitted with scientific instrumentation by NASA, operated in Sweden in early 2000, enabling scientists to study ozone phenomena.
In June 2003, the NASA DC-8 has flown low altitude atmospheric sampling missions over parts of northern California.
The jet, based at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California, is one of the largest earth science research aircraft in the world. Scientists can accompany their experiments aboard the DC-8 instead of monitoring them from afar, creating a more productive, responsive research environment.
Because of its intercontinental range, the DC-8 flew sampling missions over remote Pacific Ocean areas to contribute to a global baseline of air quality from which scientists can detect any shifts in the future.
NASA’s DC-8 entered airline service in 1969, when Apollo astronauts were landing on the moon. Since the late 1980s, this veteran jet has served as an unmatched tool for understanding our life-giving atmosphere.
To learn more about NASA's DC-8 science jet, you can visit the Dryden Flight Research Web site at:
Dryden Flight Research Center