A SCOTTISH space firm has partnered up with NASA by developing mission-critical hardware and software for new technology which has been deployed on the International Space Station [ISS].

Alpha Data, which has offices in Edinburgh, is celebrating the successful activation of the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation [EMIT] project which will fill a critical gap in the understanding of the Earth’s atmosphere, specifically of its dust cycle.

The technology was installed on the ISS’s exterior back in July but has only recently been activated and started collecting data that will help advance climate science.

The instrument consists of a state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer that will investigate visible and infrared light to determine the makeup of mineral dust clouds and their role in the warming and cooling of the atmosphere.

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The project marks another milestone for Scotland’s growing space sector, following hot on the heels of the Mid-Infrared Instrument [MIRI] - one of the four workhorse instruments onboard NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, with the UK Astronomy Technology Centre, based at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh being the lead institution that designed and built MIRI.

EMIT will observe Earth from the outside of the ISS and will deliver never-before-seen data, detailing how mineral dust clouds carried by high winds from arid regions over vast distances may heat or cool the atmosphere as they travel.

David Dolman, senior electronics and software design engineer of Alpha Data who led the EMIT development said: “The EMIT mission will advance our knowledge and understanding of dust’s effects throughout the Earth system and to human populations now and in the future. This instrument sets a new standard in high-performance onboard processing and storage of data that is being used on the space station.”

Robert Green, EMIT’s principal investigator and senior research scientist at the NASA jet propulsion laboratory, said: “Decades ago, when I was in graduate school, it took 10 minutes to collect a single spectrum from a geological sample in the laboratory. EMIT’s imaging spectrometer measures 300,000 spectra per second, with superior quality.

“With this exceptional performance, we are on track to comprehensively map the minerals of Earth’s arid regions – about 25% of the Earth’s land surface – in less than a year and achieve our climate science objectives.”

Kate Calvin, NASA’s chief scientist and senior climate advisor, said: “The data we’re getting from EMIT will give us more insight into the heating and cooling of Earth, and the role mineral dust plays in that cycle. It’s promising to see the amount of data we’re getting from the mission in such a short time.”

David Miller, Alpha Data managing director, said: “The successful deployment of EMIT is a landmark achievement for Alpha Data and further strengthens our relationship with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“Alpha Data’s crucial contributions to EMIT have led to a successful milestone accomplishment in this significant and accelerating industry and showcases the unrivalled ability of Alpha Data’s development frameworks to produce highly reliable, space-grade off-the-shelf electronics.”