The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to make Costa Rica its base of operations for research on the impact of tropical clouds on global warming.

The research will take place during July and August, when three NASA airplanes circle the skies above Costa Rica and Panama, collecting atmospheric data, according to the daily La Nación.

Representatives of the National Center for High Technology (CENAT) and NASA signed an agreement this week that will allow these planes to be operated from a NASA hanger at Juan Santamaría International Airport, just northwest of San José.

CENAT director Pedro León told the daily this will be the largest mission carried out by NASA outside the United States. Along with the airplanes, 230 NASA scientists and technicians will work on the mission, which will cost an estimated $20 million.

They will be observing descending and ascending air currents along the coasts of Costa Rica and the Gulf of Panama to investigate how these currents could contribute to global warming.

Additionally, they will research cirrus clouds to find out how their ice crystals affect heat escaping the earth's surface.