Context:- NASA recently announced that it is partnering with the Italian Space Agency ASI (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) to build and launch the Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols missions (MAIA).
About Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols missions (MAIA):-
- It is a joint mission between NASA and the Italian Space Agency ASI.
- The MAIA observatory is set to launch before the end of 2024.
Aim: to investigate the health impacts of air pollution in the world’s most populated cities.
- ASI will provide the PLATiNO-2 satellite, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will build a science instrument for the mission.
- It includes a push broom spectropolarimetric camera on a two-axis gimbal for multi-angle viewing, frequent target revisits, and inflight calibration.
- The MAIA mission will utilize the observatory, ground-based sensors, and atmospheric models for collecting and analyzing data.
- In order to better comprehend the connections that exist between aerosol pollutants and health issues such as adverse birth outcomes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and premature deaths, researchers will combine MAIA measurements with population health records as part of the MAIA investigation.
- During the course of the three-year mission, MAIA will focus on 11 primary target areas that include: Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, Rome, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Barcelona, Spain, Beijing, Johannesburg, New Delhi, Taipei, Taiwan; and Tel Aviv.
Potential Benefits to Environment by MAIA
Breathing airborne pollution particles has been associated with many health problems. But the toxicity of different particle mixtures has been less well understood. Working together with colleagues in Italy and around the world, we expect that MAIA will help us understand how airborne particle pollution puts our health at risk and potentially provide insights that will inform the decisions of public health officials and other policymakers.
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