Protection from the Sky

 

 

Quick read

Los Alamos' stealth airplane technology detects chemical and radioactive dangers—like a superhero vehicle but more advanced than what you see in the movies.

 

 

"The threat right now is just people in the area being told to stay away, to evacuate. So hopefully, certainly, everybody did—did get out and heed those warnings. But right now, some people certainly feeling the effects of some of those chemicals, some of that stuff in the air. Still a situation we're keeping an eye on, and certainly, trying to find out the answer." Courtesy of CNN transcripts

On an early January morning in 1997 outside of Louisville, Kentucky, a transportation trail derailed and cars exploded, releasing smoke and chemical plumes. The above media quote portrays the fear and uncertainty people felt. Residents near the wreck reported skin irritation, a strange taste in their mouths, and an unpleasant feeling in their lungs. Authorities evacuated residents and, based on shipping manifests, determined that cyclohexane, a flammable, inhalation hazard, was onboard. A small plane based in Texas was called to the scene to determine what contaminants were rapidly spreading throughout the community.

ASPECT, the Airborne Spectral Photometric Collection Emergency Response Project, has been deployed many times to monitor crash sites, burning chemical facilities and wildfires. The plane also collects foreign intelligence to counter terrorist activities. The Environmental Protection Agency deploys ASPECT during massive hurricanes to collect information about potential toxins released by storm damage, after which hazardous materials responders are sent to alleviate risk to the community and the environment.

Similiar to the Batmobile, the ASPECT plane protects its crew while they race to the site of an emergency. However, unlike the fictional car, ASPECT goes one step further and collects chemical and radiation samples, preventing crew from entering dangerous sites—an erupting volcano or a toxic spill. The plane not only assists responders during national emergencies, it also protects citizens at major events that are at risk for terrorism, such as the Super Bowl or the Olympics.

Researchers at Los Alamos National Lab developed ASPECT. The plane, a twin-engine Aerocommander 680 aircraft is equipped with a multi-spectral infrared mapping system and a Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer package called ASPECT. This airborne sensor is the only "stand-off infrared" detection tool in the nation devoted to emergency domestic response applications. The technology provides first responders with critical information regarding the size, shape, composition, and concentration of gas clouds. It can see through smoke and dust to get a measurement of the location and concentration of the vapor plume. A second sensor, a high-resolution Infrared Line Scanner, records an image of the ground below, as well as plume information.

The system then uses Global Positioning System mapping data and digital images of the site to create exact maps and digital data overlays of chemical plumes and low area locations where toxin-laden air may accumulate.

Within minutes of arriving on the scene, ASPECT data is collected and a field analysis is performed. The data is simultaneously sent to Los Alamos for more in-depth analysis. The full assessment, including data collection, takes less than 15 minutes.