What Is NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT)?

Operating from the International Space Station, NASA's Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) mission will comprehensively analyze the mineral composition of Earth's dust source regions. This mission aims to assist scientists in understanding how wind-carried dust particles influence temperature fluctuations within our atmosphere. Additionally, it investigates how dust impacts cloud formation, air quality, and human health, with potential consequences on both regional and global scales. Moreover, when deposited into the ocean, dust can initiate the proliferation of microscopic algae blooms.

To conduct these measurements, EMIT will employ an imaging spectrometer designed to capture visible and infrared light reflections from the Earth's surface. EMIT successfully launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in 2022, part of SpaceX's 25th commercial resupply services mission for NASA.