NASA’s ER‑2 high‑altitude research aircraft touches down in Colorado Springs May 11, 2026

NASA’s ER‑2 high‑altitude research aircraft touches down in Colorado Springs May 11, 2026, after completing a hyperspectral survey flight for the joint USGS–NASA effort to map critical minerals across the western United States. Operating from the Colorado Springs Airport, the mission supports Earth MRI and the NASA–USGS Geological Earth Mapping Experiment by gathering spectral data from roughly 12 miles above the surface to help characterize mineral resources, mine‑waste sites, water availability and geologic hazards. USGS photo by Peter Pearsall.