NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory lifts off the runway at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., on its first flight in the ARCTAS atmospheric science mission.

The Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites, or ARCTAS, investigation is intended to improve understanding of how the composition of the Arctic atmosphere is influenced by long-range transport of pollution from lower latitudes and local emissions from boreal wildfires and their impact on Arctic quality and climate. Validation of the NASA satellites that continuously monitor the global atmosphere is also a major focus of this mission.

Three NASA research aircraft, along with ground stations, weather balloons, and modeling and forecast teams, are deployed to collect science data in two campaign phases.

NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory is one of the aircraft taking part in the ARCTAS mission, carrying 21 experiments and about 35 scientists for the study. The ARCTAS flights are based in Fairbanks, Alaska, with some flights to Thule, Greenland, in April. This phase of the mission is focusing on thick aerosol layers known as "arctic haze." The aircraft was scheduled to travel to Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada, in July for the second portion of the study to focus on the emissions from the large boreal forest fires in northwest Canada.