Active wildfires are fast-moving disasters, and the fallout can be terrible, too

NASA and its Jet Propulsion Laboratory are launching flights to gather more data about the lingering pollutants from fires by flying straight into the smoke plumes. We can’t actually see these super tiny pollutants, but they’re big enough to affect our breathing, especially for those who have asthma. Both NASA and JPL are learning more from studying the plumes during a fire, as well as the air after a fire, to help understand how these pollutants will affect us long term.