How Moon Dust Could Improve Weather Predictions On Earth
Oops Forecasting Improvement John Lane looks over data recorded from his laser system as he refines his process and formula to calibrate measurements of raindrops. NASA/Jim GrossmannDuring a moon dust measurement experiment, a physicist accidentally figured out how to help weather forecasters. When John Lane stood in his backyard and pointed his laser at the rain, he wasn't thinking about weather on Earth. He was trying to figure out the best way to track lunar dust, part of a project to protect NASA's Apollo landers from would-be moon visitors. But he ended up helping weather forecasters anyway, by finding a new way to measure the size of raindrops--something weather radar can't do. Lane, a physicist at Kennedy Space Center, was trying to calibrate a laser sensor that would pick up fine dust particles on the moon. The project is part of a NASA effort to protect its lunar heritage. New...