NASA Will Have A Laboratory Flying Over Illinois This Week

Some Illinois residents might see a really low-flying aircraft early this week.

NASA has what is being billed as the "largest flying science laboratory in the world". According to NBC Chicago, NASA announced that its Armstrong Flight Research Center’s DC-8 aircraft will fly over a specific part of Illinois this week. It's part of a research mission that's called AEROMMA.

The airborne laboratory is flying over Chicago and the suburbs early this week. As of early Monday afternoon, it still isn't showing to be in the area yet. The laboratory is being used to study air quality and pollution.

The DC-8 is a 4-engine passenger jet that's "outfitted with scientific equipment", according to a release on the project. According to NASA's website about the DC-8 airborne laboratory, the findings from the lab's flights have been used in multiple studies, including: "archeology, ecology, geography, hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, volcanology, atmospheric chemistry, soil science, and biology".

NASA has warned residents that you'll see and hear the aircraft flying low but it will be very loud. It's a jet, of course it will be loud. However, even though it will be flying very low, NASA also doesn't want you to worry about how close it gets. They also said:

all flyovers are conducted at a safe altitude without harm to public, wildlife, or infrastructure.

If you want to keep up with where the flying laboratory is, you can track it on flightaware.com. Plug in the tail number N817NA on the website to see where it's at.