EMIT delivers first-of-a-kind maps of minerals in Earth’s dust-source areas, enabling scientists to model the fine particles’ role in climate change and more. Launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2022, EMIT – short for Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation – is an imaging spectrometer developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. The mission fills a crucial need among climate scientists for more detailed information on surface mineral composition. Taken together, the scenes comprise billions of measurements – more than enough to create detailed maps of surface composition. “To this point we simply haven’t known the distribution of surface minerals over huge swaths of the planet,” said Phil Brodrick, a JPL data scientist who spearheaded the creation of the mineral maps.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 22, 2023 17:42 UTC