NBC Montana reported on October 26, 2026, that Montana State University had received a $3 million NASA grant to lead ASCEND, a planned national project studying wildfire smoke and other air pollutants. ASCEND’s research plan focuses on how the vertical structure of smoke affects air quality downwind, satellite observations and pollutant transport. The project’s name stands for Aerial Science, Collaboration, and Education Network for Discovery.
What ASCEND plans to investigate
ASCEND’s stated research aim is to understand how smoke and other pollutants are distributed at different heights, and what that structure can reveal about air downwind and the movement of pollution. The plan includes seven research questions, covering PM2.5 and PM10, how flight conditions affect sensor readings, gaps in satellite observations, and how terrain and atmospheric conditions shape near-surface pollution. Long-range aerosol transport is another planned topic.
The work is also intended to support NASA’s TEMPO air-pollution-monitoring mission. Comparing measurements taken near the ground and at different heights with satellite observations could help researchers examine what satellites capture about smoke. These are questions the project plans to investigate, not findings.
Why the project combines measurement platforms
Each platform is intended to capture a different slice of the atmosphere. Radiosondes and small balloons are planned for profiles of temperature, pressure, humidity and wind. High-altitude balloons can carry instruments for particulate and other measurements through a deeper column of air. Fixed-wing uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) are planned for horizontal transects, while multirotor UAS can take detailed vertical profiles in the lower atmosphere. Surface instruments and NASA datasets provide points of comparison.
NBC Montana reported that balloon measurements were planned to range from the surface to about 100,000 feet, while drone measurements were expected to reach up to 400 feet above ground. Those ranges describe different platforms and reference points.
The combination is designed to connect conditions at the surface with measurements above it. A surface reading, a vertical profile and a horizontal flight path answer different questions about where smoke is and how it varies across an area.
How student teams are expected to work
NBC Montana reported that ASCEND planned to select 40 undergraduate teams from community colleges and universities across the country. The project plan assigns students work in building or integrating platforms, collecting measurements, evaluating data and communicating results. Faculty mentors are expected to guide teams, while university pod leads coordinate groups and provide technical support.
The planned quality work matters because a sensor’s reading can be affected by how it flies. Teams are expected to compare candidate particulate sensors with controlled or reference measurements, examine factors such as ascent rate, vibration, airflow and sensor placement, and document measurement conditions and data quality before interpreting results.
Schedule and planned research outputs
NBC Montana reported that applications to participate were expected to open in January 2027 and that four coordinated data-collection campaigns were planned for 2028. The project’s planned outputs include shared flight datasets, collaborative GIS maps and documented open research products. The project plan also describes a progression from training and system testing to coordinated investigations and data analysis.
