NASA's Cosmic Storytelling with NASA Data (CosmicDS) project, led by Harvard University, partnered with the Smithsonian Institution's BEST AQI program to place authentic NASA satellite data directly into classrooms and student hands. The collaboration ran from July 27-29, 2026, giving educators and teenagers access to real observations from the TEMPO instrument.

TEMPO, the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution instrument, orbits Earth collecting detailed measurements of air quality across North America. The satellite tracks nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and other pollutants at unprecedented spatial resolution, observing changes hour by hour. This capability transforms how scientists monitor urban smog, industrial emissions, and regional air quality patterns.

The CosmicDS program operates under NASA's Science Activation initiative, which designs curricula around genuine scientific datasets. Rather than simulating experiments, students work with the same information that researchers use for peer-reviewed studies. This approach bridges the gap between textbook science and active investigation.

BEST AQI focuses specifically on teen-led air quality research at local scales. By integrating TEMPO data, students investigate pollution in their own neighborhoods and communities, connecting satellite observations to ground-level environmental conditions they experience daily. Educators gained hands-on training to implement these investigations in their classrooms, building capacity for sustained environmental science instruction.

The three-day workshop equipped participants with tools to interpret TEMPO imagery, understand atmospheric chemistry, and design inquiry-based learning around air pollution data. Students learn that Earth observation satellites provide actionable information for public health decisions, not merely abstract scientific knowledge.

This partnership advances several NASA priorities simultaneously. It democratizes access to space-based Earth science data, develops the next generation of climate and atmospheric researchers, and demonstrates how satellite observations directly address community environmental challenges. When teenagers investigate their local air quality using TEMPO data, they recognize themselves as