NASA's "NACHOS" instrument can help predict volcanic eruptions

NASA announced Tuesday.

Although the instrument is still a prototype, NASA plans to deploy it in May 2022. The tiny device was launched aboard a recent resupply mission to the International Space Station. NASA called it the "Nanosat Atmospheric Chemistry Hyperspectral OObservation System" (NACHOS). It will detect gases in areas as small and as small as.15 miles. This is about the area of the Mall of America.

"A dormant volcano that is just rising up could emit sulfur dioxide before any seismic activity can be detected. This gives us the opportunity to identify potentially erupting volcanic eruptions before they actually happen," Steve Love, a NASA researcher, stated in a NASA press release.

NASA scientists hope NACHOS will be more than a prediction tool for volcanic eruptions. The agency stated that it plans to use the device for monitoring the air quality in cities, neighborhoods, and individual power plants.

Love stated, "When we recognize these gases exist and can locate their source on a sub-kilometer level, we have the chance to take action and minimize adverse health outcomes."

NACHOS is smaller and cheaper than satellites used to monitor trace gases.

Love stated that orbital instruments are capable of gathering data about atmospheric trace gases. However, they can be expensive to make and maintain.

NACHOS measures only about the same size as a football, making it a tiny powerhouse.

Love stated that NACHOS's greater power and lighter weight make it an exceptional candidate for future atmospheric tracegas missions.

NACHOS will remain aboard Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft from February 19 until May when it will return to Earth via the ISS. Before the craft enters the atmosphere, NACHOS will be in Earth's lower orbit.

NACHOS will remain in orbit for approximately one year before being replaced by another instrument.