Classic Aircraft Adds Another Line to Its Long-Running Resume

NASA’s old-school WB-57 got a workout this week with a novel mission for the classic aircraft: Emergency assessment of the devastated Texas Hill Country.

The high-altitude WB-57 has been a trusty workhorse for NASA over the years, flying since the early seventies. The WB-57 is a mid-wing, long-range aircraft capable of pulling off lengthy missions above 60,000 feet, derived from the old Martin B-57 bomber of yore. It’s a minor character in the greater happenings surrounding the Kerrville flood, but fans of classic and niche aircraft like seeing the old birds still earning their keep. As it happens, NASA deployed two WB-57s, dispatched under the NASA Disasters Response Coordination System, to help obtain crystal-clear imagery of the affected region. Cloud cover in the area has rendered much of the satellite data useless, so the WB-57s began aerial surveys with their DyNAMITE (Day/Night Airborne Motion Imager for Terrestrial Environments) sensor system. That tied into real-time collection and analysis on the ground, helping responders direct their efforts to where it’s most needed, without the need for post-flight processing.

NASA highlighted the use of their Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) aboard a Gulfstream III. That team plans to take observations of the Guadalupe, San Gabriel, and Colorado river basins through the rest of the week, thanks to its ability to penetrate vegetation. Their flights will help to define the extent of the flooding, crucial for damage assessments and future repairs.

All the data gathered is being coordinated with FEMA, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, and local responders to ensure it’s quickly delivered to those on the ground. Imagery collected will be sent to NASA’s Disaster Response Coordination System, and will eventually be disbursed for public reference via the NASA DIsasters Mapping Portal once they are finished.

FMI: www.nasa.gov