On January 16, 2013, the DISCOVER-AQ team kicked off the California 2013 campaign with their first science flights and ground measurements in California's Central Valley. DISCOVER-AQ is a field campaign to improve the ability of space-based instruments to distinguish between air pollution high in the atmosphere and that near the surface where people live and breathe.

Seen here is the NASA P-3B flying over the Penn State University NATIVE trailer, which is situated in Porterville, Calif., at one of the ground sites along the mission's flight path.

Image credit: Penn State