Dan Cziczo (IMAGE) Purdue University Caption Dan Cziczo, professor and head of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences in Purdue’s College of Science, was part of the research team that discovered significant amounts of metals in aerosols in the atmosphere, likely from increasingly frequent launches and returns of spacecraft and satellites. Data was collected more than 11 miles above the planet’s surface using sampling tools hitched to the nose cone of research planes. Credit Purdue University photo/John Underwood Usage Restrictions No restrictions. License Public Domain Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.