|
Earl, We are watching U...
#1 SIL has one on his toys up, with PEEPs on Earl..
Quote:
An unmanned drone aircraft – known as the Global Hawk – is scheduled to fly directly into 135-mph Hurricane Earl tonight to help unlock some of the mysteries of these monster storms.
The flight is part of the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) project, a NASA field experiment underway this summer to better understand how tropical storms form and develop into major hurricanes.
The NASA GRIP mission includes several NASA satellites, three aircraft and 14 different aircraft instruments.
The Global Hawk is a robotic plane that can fly to altitudes above 60,000 feet -- roughly twice as high as a commercial airliner -- and as far as 11,000 nautical miles -- half the circumference of Earth. It can travel for up to 36 hours without refueling.
According to NASA, "the ability of the Global Hawk to autonomously fly long distances, remain aloft for extended periods of time and carry large payloads brings a new capability to the science community for measuring, monitoring and observing remote locations of Earth not feasible or practical with piloted aircraft, most other robotic or remotely operated aircraft or space satellites."
An instrument on board the Hawk tonight -- the High Altitude Imaging Wind and Rain Profiler -- will allow scientists to measure surface winds above the ocean inside the hurricane, typically not measurable by any other means.
By Doyle Rice
http://content.usatoday.com/communit...rricane-earl/1
|
Another DARPA project that transitioned a military project to a civilian use with little costs.
__________________
Go raibh tú leathuair ar Neamh sula mbeadh a fhios ag an diabhal go bhfuil tú marbh
"May you be a half hour in heaven before the devil knows you’re dead"
|
Linear Mode
