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Update on NASA’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Oct 01 2007

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NASA has also purchased a ground control station and satellite communication system. The ground control station is in a mobile trailer and, in addition to the pilot’s “cockpit,” includes computer workstations for scientists and engineers. All the aircraft systems are mobile, making Ikhana ideal for remote studies.

Ikhana is the first production Predator B equipped with an upgraded digital electronic engine controller (DEEC) developed by Honeywell and GA-ASI that will make it five to 10 percent more fuel efficient.

Improving Wildfire Imaging

NASA’s Ikhana unmanned science aircraft ground control station includes consoles for two pilots and positions for scientists and engineers along the side. (NASA photo by Tony Landis)

The West Coast of the United States has suffered extreme heat and drought this summer, leading to greater danger of wildfires. From mid-August through September, NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center flew Ikhana to demonstrate the capabilities of its new imaging and real-time communications equipment. The first flight on August 16 captured images of California wildfires. The aircraft carried instruments that collected data while flying more than 1,200 miles over a 10-hour period.

“These tests are a ground-breaking effort to expand the use of unmanned aircraft systems in providing real-time images in an actual fire event,” said Vincent Ambrosia, principal investigator of the Western States Fire Mission at NASA’s Ames Research Center. “This is a prime example of NASA science and technology being used to solve real-world problems.”

Dryden completed a sixmonth process to obtain a Certificate of Authorization from the FAA allowing an unmanned aircraft to fly wildfire- sensing missions in the national air space of the western states. Pilots from NASA and GA-ASI operated the aircraft from the ground control station at Dryden.

Click here for more information on Ikhana.

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