NASA WB-57 Aircraft Deployed in Panama for Stratospheric Research

NASA's high-altitude WB-57 research aircraft was presented to the media in Panama on Friday, marking its deployment in support of a mission to study the upper atmosphere from the tropics.

The aircraft is operating from Panama Pacifico International Airport as part of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Chemical Sciences Laboratory high-altitude research effort. The instruments aboard are contributing to NOAA's Stratospheric Aerosol processes, Budget and Radiative Effects project, known as SABRE.

Project chief scientist Troy Thornberry said the programme is designed to examine processes occurring high in the stratosphere, which require specialised aircraft capable of reaching those altitudes. He noted that Panama offers access to both the Caribbean and the Pacific, as well as the strong tropical convection over Central and South America that drives atmospheric processes with global consequences.

The WB-57 can carry scientific payloads far above the cruising altitudes of most commercial airliners. Pilot John Gustine said the aircraft had recently flown at 61,000 feet while carrying roughly 8,000 pounds of equipment, and that it can accommodate around 28 sensors. He said the platform allows researchers to collect atmospheric data that other aircraft cannot reach.

The SABRE project examines how aerosols form, move and change across different seasons and regions. The resulting data is intended to improve climate models and deepen understanding of the Earth's atmospheric system. Panama's location and climate are considered well suited to high-altitude research from the tropics.

U.S. Ambassador to Panama Kevin Marino Cabrera visited the aircraft and greeted members of the research team. He used the occasion to praise Panama's counter-narcotics efforts, saying the two countries are working together against drug cartels and highlighting the Panamanian government's efforts to prevent criminal groups from using the country.