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NASA and Civil Air Patrol Team Up for 2025 Aviation Weather Mission
The NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative (NESEC) is collaborating with the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) to implement the 2025 Aviation Weather Mission. This initiative aims to involve cadets, aged 11 to 20, as well as senior members, in the collection of vital aviation-related data, including observations of airport conditions, Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Cloud insights, details on commercial aircraft such as registration numbers and altitudes, and satellite data shared by the NASA GLOBE Clouds team based at NASA Langley Research Center. The forthcoming mission is a continuation of a successful partnership between NESEC and CAP, which engaged over 400 teams to gather crucial data on cloud, air temperature, and land cover during the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses, involving more than 3,000 cadets and over 1,000 senior members from across the United States, including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
Mission Overview
Set to unfold from April to July 2025, the 2025 Aviation Weather Mission will focus on gathering observations in two four-hour sessions while allowing participants to enhance their skills in areas such as flight tracking, orienteering, and data management. To date, participation has exceeded expectations, with over 3,000 cadets from 46 wings (states) already registered for the mission.
Support from NASA
In February, Science Activation extended its support for the initiative with a letter of collaboration addressed to CAP Major General Regena Aye. The NASA GLOBE Clouds and GLOBE Observer programs are key components of NESEC, which is managed by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES). This program is supported by NASA under the cooperative agreement award number NNX16AE28A and is part of NASA’s expansive Science Activation Portfolio. To understand more about the role of Science Activation in linking NASA science experts with community leaders to foster scientific engagement and promote a deeper understanding of our environment, visit: NASA Science Activation.
Source
science.nasa.gov