{"id":562133,"date":"2023-11-07T13:28:46","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T18:28:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=562133"},"modified":"2024-01-04T11:52:16","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T16:52:16","slug":"nasa-maps-minerals-and-ecosystem-function-in-southwest-u-s-regions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/armstrong\/nasa-maps-minerals-and-ecosystem-function-in-southwest-u-s-regions\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA Maps Minerals and Ecosystem Function in Southwest U.S. Regions"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"padding-top-5 padding-bottom-3 width-full maxw-full hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-article-intro\"><div class=\"width-full maxw-full article-header\"><div class=\"margin-bottom-2 width-full maxw-full\"><p class=\"label carbon-60 margin-0 margin-bottom-3 padding-0\">3 min read<\/p><h1 class=\"display-48 margin-bottom-2\">NASA Maps Minerals and Ecosystem Function in Southwest U.S. Regions<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-fit \"><a href=\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1280&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" rel=\"noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1280&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"A pilot enters the cockpit of the ER-2 aircraft. He is outfitted with an oxygen suit with one foot stepping into the cockpit.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1280&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1920w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg?w=300&h=200&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 300w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg?w=768&h=512&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 768w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg?w=1024&h=683&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1024w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg?w=1536&h=1024&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1536w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg?w=400&h=267&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 400w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg?w=600&h=400&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 600w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg?w=900&h=600&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 900w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg?w=1200&h=800&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center\u2019s ER-2 aircraft can fly at high altitudes from 20,000-70,000 feet. For the GEMx mission, pilots flew at approximately 65,000 feet, requiring pilots to wear specially designed suits while in flight.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA\/Wade Sisler<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>In September 2023, NASA aircraft began supporting an effort to find and map critical mineral deposits in Western regions of the U.S. Identifying these minerals \u2013 often used in everyday products like laptops and cell phones \u2013 could help improve environmental processes for mining and geological activities, enhance national security, and boost the economy. This project will continue through Fall 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a collaboration with the USGS (United States Geological Survey), an ER-2 high-altitude aircraft based at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, has been supporting GEMx, the Geological Earth Mapping Experiment. The campaign also includes NASA’s Gulfstream V aircraft and a diverse team of engineers, pilots, and scientists from NASA, USGS, and the University of Arizona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFor this mission, we are flying at approximately 65,000 feet to acquire wide swaths of geophysical data with every overflight,\u201d said Kevin Reath, NASA deputy program manager for GEMx. The instruments are flying higher than previous airborne instruments to collect data over a wider area, yet the images collected have finer detail than aa satellite view \u201cIt\u2019s thanks to this high-altitude flying capability that we can cover such a large area.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Researchers mounted instruments on the ER-2 and Gulfstream V to collect measurements over the country\u2019s arid and semi-arid regions, including parts of California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. These instruments include NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/aviris.jpl.nasa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">AVIRIS<\/a> (Airborne Visible\/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer), <a href=\"https:\/\/hytes.jpl.nasa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">HyTes<\/a> (Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer), and <a href=\"https:\/\/hytes.jpl.nasa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">MASTER<\/a> (MODIS\/ASTER Airborne Simulator).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These instruments collect hyperspectral images, or images that use color to convey the geophysical complexities behind seemingly simple or monochromatic surfaces. The visual data that is produced by these optical sensors indicates the constituents and changes of Earth\u2019s surface and atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis mission, data, and its respective data products can help the public along with local, state, tribal, and federal agencies make effective decisions regarding management of natural resource deposits including critical mineral resources,\u201d said Dean Riley, a collaborator on the GEMx project from the University of Arizona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe U.S. depends on a reliable supply of Earth materials to support its economy and national security,\u201d said Raymond Kokaly, research geophysicist with the USGS. \u201cSuch materials have been deemed critical minerals because disruption of their supply would have significant negative impacts. Undiscovered deposits of at least some of these critical and strategic minerals almost certainly exist in the United States, but modern geophysical data is needed to increase our knowledge of these resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Modern geophysical data is exactly what the GEMx project is procuring.  This means data that maps not only the constituents of Earth\u2019s surface and atmosphere, but also how those constituents change over time between 2023 and 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf this mission can successfully identify critical minerals in minable locations in the U.S., we could be less dependent on foreign entities for these critical minerals,\u201d Reath said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-usgs-map-minerals-to-understand-earth-makeup-climate-change\/\">Learn more about GEMx<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/armstrong\/er-2-aircraft\/\">Learn more about the ER-2 aircraft<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/armstrong\/\">Learn more about NASA Armstrong Research Center<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 article_a hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-credits-and-details\">\n<section class=\"padding-x-0 padding-top-5 padding-bottom-2 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n\t<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-2 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Share<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"social-icons social-icons-round\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-x\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?via=NASA&text=NASA%20Maps%20Minerals%20and%20Ecosystem%20Function%20in%20Southwest%20U.S.%20Regions&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fcenters-and-facilities%2Farmstrong%2Fnasa-maps-minerals-and-ecosystem-function-in-southwest-u-s-regions%2F\" aria-label=\"Share on X.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"1200\" height=\"1227\" viewBox=\"0 0 1200 1227\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M714.163 519.284L1160.89 0H1055.03L667.137 450.887L357.328 0H0L468.492 681.821L0 1226.37H105.866L515.491 750.218L842.672 1226.37H1200L714.137 519.284H714.163ZM569.165 687.828L521.697 619.934L144.011 79.6944H306.615L611.412 515.685L658.88 583.579L1055.08 1150.3H892.476L569.165 687.854V687.828Z\" fill=\"white\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-facebook\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fcenters-and-facilities%2Farmstrong%2Fnasa-maps-minerals-and-ecosystem-function-in-southwest-u-s-regions%2F\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M9 8h-3v4h3v12h5v-12h3.642l.358-4h-4v-1.667c0-.955.192-1.333 1.115-1.333h2.885v-5h-3.808c-3.596 0-5.192 1.583-5.192 4.615v3.385z\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-linkedin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fcenters-and-facilities%2Farmstrong%2Fnasa-maps-minerals-and-ecosystem-function-in-southwest-u-s-regions%2F\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M4.98 3.5c0 1.381-1.11 2.5-2.48 2.5s-2.48-1.119-2.48-2.5c0-1.38 1.11-2.5 2.48-2.5s2.48 1.12 2.48 2.5zm.02 4.5h-5v16h5v-16zm7.982 0h-4.968v16h4.969v-8.399c0-4.67 6.029-5.052 6.029 0v8.399h4.988v-10.131c0-7.88-8.922-7.593-11.018-3.714v-2.155z\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-rss\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"\/feed\/\" aria-label=\"Subscribe to RSS feed.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 800 800\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M493 652H392c0-134-111-244-244-244V307c189 0 345 156 345 345zm71 0c0-228-188-416-416-416V132c285 0 520 235 520 520z\"\/><circle cx=\"219\" cy=\"581\" r=\"71\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Details<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading\">Last Updated<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-8\">Jan 04, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\"><div class=\"grid-col-4\"><div class=\"subheading\">Editor<\/div><\/div><div class=\"grid-col-8\">Cody S. Lydon<\/div><\/div><div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\"><div class=\"grid-col-4\"><div class=\"subheading\">Contact<\/div><\/div><div class=\"grid-col-8\"><div class=\"margin-bottom-3\"><div>Erica Heim<\/div><div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"grid-row\"><div class=\"grid-col-4\"><div class=\"subheading\">Location<\/div><\/div><div class=\"grid-col-8\"><a class=\"hds-location-tag-name\" href=\"\/armstrong\/\"><span class=\"hds-meta-heading\">Armstrong Flight Research Center<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\"><div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black \"><div class=\"margin-bottom-2\"><h2 class=\"heading-14\">Related Terms<\/h2><\/div><ul class=\"article-tags\"><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/armstrong\/\">Armstrong Flight Research Center<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/earth-science\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Earth Science<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/focus-areas\/surface-and-interior\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Earth Surface & Interior<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/er-2\/\">ER-2<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Science & Research<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/aeronautics\/science-in-the-air\/\">Science in the Air<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-related-articles\">\t\t<section class=\"hds-related-articles padding-x-0 padding-y-3 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"w-100 grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0 text-align-left\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-4\"><h2 style=\"max-width: 100%;\" class=\"width-full w-full maxw-full\">Explore More<\/h2><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/missions\/hubble\/hubble-hunts-visible-light-sources-of-x-rays\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/hubble-ic776-potw2418a.jpg\" ><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">2 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">Hubble Hunts Visible Light Sources of X-Rays<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"p-md color-carbon-60\">This NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features the dwarf galaxy IC 776. This swirling collection...<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1 day ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/general\/researchers-develop-founding-document-on-synthetic-cell-development\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/19728525494-4e20319b8c-c.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/19728525494-4e20319b8c-c.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/19728525494-4e20319b8c-c.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/19728525494-4e20319b8c-c.jpg?resize=768,511 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/19728525494-4e20319b8c-c.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/19728525494-4e20319b8c-c.jpg?resize=1536,1022 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/19728525494-4e20319b8c-c.jpg?resize=400,266 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/19728525494-4e20319b8c-c.jpg?resize=600,399 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/19728525494-4e20319b8c-c.jpg?resize=900,599 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/19728525494-4e20319b8c-c.jpg?resize=1200,799 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/19728525494-4e20319b8c-c.jpg?resize=2000,1331 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">3 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">Researchers Develop \u2018Founding Document\u2019 on Synthetic Cell Development<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2 days ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/earth\/nasa-is-helping-protect-tigers-jaguars-and-elephants-heres-how\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/photo-4-amur-tigers-credit-dale-miquelle.jpg\" ><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">5 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">NASA Is Helping Protect Tigers, Jaguars, and Elephants. Here\u2019s How.<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"p-md color-carbon-60\">As human populations grow, habitat loss threatens many creatures. Mapping wildlife habitat using satellites is...<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2 days ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In September 2023, NASA aircraft began supporting an effort to find and map critical mineral deposits in Western regions of the U.S. Identifying these minerals \u2013 often used in everyday products like laptops and cell phones \u2013 could help improve environmental processes for mining and geological activities, enhance national security, and boost the economy. This [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":144,"featured_media":562138,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"144","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":["339741"],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":["283565"],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2855,2834,3266,3363,2662,2820],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[12898],"coauthors":[12146],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"NASA Maps Minerals and Ecosystem Function in Southwest U.S. Regions","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/armstrong\/nasa-maps-minerals-and-ecosystem-function-in-southwest-u-s-regions\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/armstrong\/nasa-maps-minerals-and-ecosystem-function-in-southwest-u-s-regions\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1280&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1280&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint"},"articleSection":"NASA Centers & Facilities","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Erica Heim"}],"creator":["Erica Heim"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Aeronautics","Science in the Air","Armstrong Flight Research Center","Earth Science","Earth Surface & Interior","ER-2","Science & Research"],"dateCreated":"2023-11-07T18:28:46Z","datePublished":"2023-11-07T18:28:46Z","dateModified":"2024-01-04T16:52:16Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"NASA Maps Minerals and Ecosystem Function in Southwest U.S. Regions\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/armstrong\/nasa-maps-minerals-and-ecosystem-function-in-southwest-u-s-regions\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1280&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2023-11-07T18:28:46Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Aeronautics,Science in the Air,Armstrong Flight Research Center,Earth Science,Earth Surface & Interior,ER-2,Science & Research\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Erica Heim\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":3,"time_ago":"6 months","featured_image":{"id":562138,"file":"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6\/ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6~large.jpg","title":"ARC-1987-AC87-0912-6","alt":"","caption":"ER-2 on Ames Ramp with Pilot James Barrillearx entering cockpit"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562133"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/144"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=562133"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":574964,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562133\/revisions\/574964"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/562138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=562133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=562133"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=562133"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=562133"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=562133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}