EMIT
The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) is a NASA Earth Venture Instrument (EVI-4) mission designed to map the mineral composition of Earth's arid dust source regions using imaging spectroscopy. Developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), EMIT was launched on July 14, 2022, and is mounted on the exterior of the International Space Station (ISS).
In early 2024, EMIT entered an extended mission phase, allowing it to continue data collection through at least 2026. This extension supports ongoing research and applications related to Earth's mineral dust sources.
Mission Objectives
EMIT aims to enhance our understanding of how mineral dust affects Earth's climate by:
- Identifying and mapping the mineral composition of dust source regions.
- Providing data to improve climate models by incorporating the effects of different mineral types on atmospheric heating and cooling.
Instrument and Technology
EMIT employs an advanced imaging spectrometer that measures a spectrum for every point in its image swath. Sunlight reflected from Earth's surface is captured by a telescope and directed into a spectrometer, which disperses the light into its constituent wavelengths. This allows EMIT to detect distinct spectral signatures of various minerals in the visible to short-wavelength infrared range.
Data Collection and Applications
Operating from the ISS, EMIT collects mineralogical measurements of sunlit regions between 52° N and 52° S latitude. The data gathered is used to:
- Map the distribution of minerals in arid regions.
- Improve Earth System Models by providing accurate input data on dust composition.
- Advance our understanding of dust's role in climate change and its impact on human populations.
