wp-plugin-hostgator domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home4/scienrds/scienceandnerds/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114ol-scrapes domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home4/scienrds/scienceandnerds/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114Source: https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/7\/15\/23219999\/nasa-spacex-iss-emit-instrument-dust-climate-research<\/a> A payload<\/a> making its way to the International Space Station could help researchers back on Earth finally solve a climate mystery that\u2019s stymied scientists for years. NASA launched a key instrument for its climate research, called the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation<\/a> (EMIT<\/a>), aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Thursday night from the Kennedy Space Center. <\/p>\n Dust is a surprisingly powerful force up in the atmosphere, which is why NASA is determined to better understand it. The tiny particles waft up from deserts and other arid regions, and depending on many different factors, they can have a cooling or<\/em> heating effect on our planet. Which scenario is actually playing out across the globe, however, continues to elude scientists. <\/p>\n \u201cEMIT is studying mineral dust because it\u2019s currently an unknown element,\u201d Robert Green, EMIT\u2019s principal investigator and Jet Propulsion Laboratory senior research scientist, said at a July 13th briefing<\/a> on the mission. \u201cNot just the magnitude of how much it heats or cools, but whether it heats or cools is uncertain.\u201d<\/p>\n One reason why dust is such a mystery is that dust particles come in different colors. It might be dark red, for instance, because it contains iron. Dust particles containing clay, on the other hand, are usually much lighter in color. <\/p>\n Those lighter dust particles will reflect sunlight, helping to cool the planet. On the opposite end of the spectrum, dark dust particles will actually absorb the sun\u2019s energy and have a heating effect instead. With climate change already heating things up to dangerous levels<\/a> for life on Earth, scientists really want to know whether dust is helping or hurting efforts to stabilize global temperatures.<\/p>\n
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