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NASA high-altitude research aircraft operates from Panama, collecting climate data

A NASA high-altitude WB-57 has been operating out of Panama since Aug. 24, 2026, collecting stratospheric data to better understand how particles released into the atmosphere affect global climate patterns. The WB-57, which can operate at altitudes up to 62,000 feet, twice the height of the typical commercial aircraft, will be stationed in Panama City until September 23.

VIDEO BY DANIEL DE CARTERET / AFPTV / AFP

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Transcript
00:10This is the first time two hours passed.
00:11The new one for two hours is clearance.
00:12The new one is the final part.
00:13It is a beautiful process.
00:20And it is a new design by which I am going to be very simple.
00:29I'm sorry.
00:34I got a hand and I'm not going to have the hot seat.
00:41I'm sorry.
00:43I'm sorry.
00:45I'm sorry.
00:48I'm sorry.
00:51I'm sorry.
00:55I think I'm sorry.
01:01Do the other way, the red check.
01:03Remember, they can go down this way.
01:11You're allowed.
01:14I'm still allowed.
01:18You're living for it, you're living for it.
01:28So SABR is a project to study the processes that regulate aerosol in the stratosphere,
01:37which has a climate effect.
01:39So aerosol in the stratosphere acts to reflect sunlight back to space and is not particularly
01:47well understood because it's so hard to do science in the stratosphere.
01:52From Panama we can fly west into the Pacific, we can fly south and get into the southern
01:57hemisphere, we can fly northeast over the Caribbean and see air that's been transported
02:00all the way from Africa and Asia, as well as studying the really intense convection that
02:06occurs over both northern South America and Central America.
02:12What we want to do is we can make some measurements that will tell us whether the Earth is really
02:16responding the way the models think it should be, as well as understanding how various changes
02:24that might occur to the stratosphere due to climate change will then feed back into the
02:30climate system.
02:31If you have more fires, you might get more smoke particles, and how does that affect both transport
02:38phenomenons or how air moves through, as well as chemistry that affects things like the ozone
02:43layer.
02:44Yeah, at 61,000 feet you're roughly twice as high as a commercial airliner, so most people
02:51are familiar with looking out the window at 30,000 feet.
02:54And it's a similar picture, but the sky is darker, and you're starting to see a bit of curvature
03:01on the Earth.
03:03You can actually see kind of the Earth falling away from you.
03:08And it's quite beautiful to see a sunset or a sunrise up there.
03:13You can't see it.
03:14That's the end of the day.
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