NASA is using Mars exploration tech to protect your drinking water

Space · Published 9 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: A massive algal bloom in Lake Erie recently contaminated water supplies across Ohio and Michigan. To fight back, NASA engineers are repurposing high-tech sensors originally designed for exploring the Red Planet to identify invisible biochemical signatures in our own backyard.

NASA's Glenn Research Center is deploying hyperspectral imaging and miniature spectrometers aboard an S-3 aircraft to study Lake Erie's western basin. This technology allows researchers to capture images that reveal unique spectrographic signatures for different aquatic components. By analyzing these specific light signatures, scientists can better identify the biochemical properties of algal blooms and predict where and when they will form. The HSI-HABS project specifically captures data from the visible to the near-infrared spectrum. These instruments provide a ground resolution of approximately 1 meter per pixel. This high-resolution data is processed into georeferenced spectral irradiance units.

The project is a collaborative effort involving NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. While satellite imagery is the standard for monitoring these blooms, it can be obscured by cloud cover. Airborne remote-sensing provides a critical supplement, offering continual monitoring even in poor weather. NASA’s Earth Science Division provides funding for this study via its Applied Sciences Program. The project also includes academic partners like Kent State University and the University of Toledo. This collaborative effort aims to provide data that will be made publicly available.

This high-resolution data is also intended to improve existing satellite detection methods and can be applied to other global regions facing similar water quality issues. The 2024 bloom was particularly notable, beginning as early as June 24—the earliest bloom identified by NOAA since they began tracking them in 2002. The dominant organism, Microcystis cyanobacteria, produces microcystin, a toxin capable of causing liver damage and vomiting in humans. While nutrient input from the Maumee River is a primary driver of these blooms, researchers are using this new NASA technology to better understand how factors like temperature, water movement, and phosphorous cycles interact to create these environmental threats. The 2024 bloom reached an estimated area of 660 square miles by late August. This followed a period of intense heat and record rainfall in April. Scientists are also investigating how phosphorous in the water column relates to sediment sampling.

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