Altair Carries Science Payloads For Oceanic, Atmospheric
Experiments
Can unmanned aircraft be
used effectively for Earth Science experiments? The National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in cooperation with
NASA and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI), are
seeking to answer that question during a series of atmospheric and
oceanic research flights off the California coastline this
spring.
The UAV Flight Demonstration Project, using GA-ASI's Altair
remotely operated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is the first time
NOAA has funded a UAV Earth science demonstration mission. The
experiment is aimed at introducing a new era of science by using a
UAV in an operational environment to fill research gaps in critical
areas, such as weather and water, climate and ecosystem monitoring
and management.
The Altair, whose development was funded in part by NASA, is
carrying a payload of instruments for measuring ocean color,
atmospheric composition and temperature and surface imaging during
six flights totaling about 53 hours flight time. The flights,
during late April and early May, will be flown at altitudes of up
to 45,000 feet and as long as 20 hours in duration. Three missions
will be focused on the Channel Islands area off southern
California; the others will extend further out over the Pacific
Ocean.
Objectives of the experiment include evaluating UAVs for future
scientific and operational requirements related to NOAA's oceanic
and atmospheric research, climate research, marine sanctuary
mapping and enforcement, nautical charting, and fisheries
assessment and enforcement.
"NASA is glad to see that UAVs are being used for more and more
diverse and important operations," said Terrence Hertz, Deputy
Associate Administrator for Technology, NASA Aeronautics Research
Mission Directorate. "We're looking forward to more breakthrough
research in areas such as regenerative fuel cells, multi-UAV
operations through networking, and routine access to the National
Airspace System that will allow UAVs to play an expanding role in
Earth Science and other types of missions."
"UAVs will allow us to see weather before it happens, detect
toxins before we breathe them, and discover harmful and costly
algal blooms before the fish do -- and there is an urgency to more
effectively address these issues," said Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr.,
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA
Administrator.
"This mission is truly
historic in that it marks the first time that scientific payloads
of this quality and complexity have been flown in a remotely
operated aircraft system," noted Thomas J. Cassidy Jr., president
and chief executive officer of General Atomics Aeronautical
Systems.
"Altair has proven its ability to perform long-endurance,
high-altitude scientific missions in controlled airspace for NASA,
and we look forward to continuing to demonstrate the strength of
government agency-industry collaborations by adding NOAA as our new
partner," Cassidy added."
The Altair, a high-altitude civil derivative of GA-ASI's
Predator B military UAV, was designed for scientific and commercial
research missions. It has an 86-foot wingspan, can reach altitudes
up to 52,000 feet and remain airborne for more than 30 hours.