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August
22, 2007
NASA, U.S.
FOREST SERVICE PARTNER ON WILDFIRE IMAGING MISSION
MOFFETT FIELD, Calif.
- The West Coast of the United States
has suffered extreme
heat and drought this summer, leading to greater danger of wildfires.
NASA and
the U.S. Forest Service are testing aerospace agency-developed
technologies to
improve wildfire imaging and mapping capabilities.
From mid-August through September, NASA
Dryden Flight
Research Center,
Edwards, Calif.,
is conducting flights of a remotely-piloted, unmanned aircraft system
to
demonstrate the capabilities of its sophisticated new imaging and
real-time
communications equipment. The first flight of the series Aug. 16
captured
images of California
wildfires, including the
Zaca Fire in Santa Barbara County.
The aircraft
carried instruments that collected data while flying more than 1,200
miles
during 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 Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. "This is a
prime example of NASA science and technology being used to solve
real-world
problems."
"The images from the flight demonstrated that this technology has a
future
in helping us fight wild land fires," stated Zaca Incident Commander
Mike
Dietrich. "We could see little on the ground since the fire was
generating
a lot of smoke and burning in a very remote and inaccessible area. This
technology captured images through the smoke and provided real time
information
on what the fire was doing," said Dietrich.
NASA's Ikhana, a Predator B remotely piloted aircraft adapted for civil
missions, is flying its first operational effort during a series of
four or
five missions over the western states. Its sensor payload is collecting
detailed thermal-infrared imagery of wildfires and is demonstrating the
ability
of unmanned aircraft systems to collect data continuously for 12 to 24
hours.
The second flight in the series, a mission that will take Ikhana over Idaho
and last an
estimated 20 hours, is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 23.
A satellite data link allows real-time transfer of fire imagery to
virtually
anywhere on Earth. Information from the sensor is transmitted to NASA
Ames
where it is simultaneously available to the National
Interagency
Fire
Center in Boise,
Idaho,
as a Google Earth overlay and through NASA/Open Geospatial Consortium
Web
services.
"The success of these tests will help to refine the future direction of
fire mapping for the wildfire management agencies," said Everett
Hinkley,
liaison and special projects group leader for the U.S. Forest Service, Salt Lake City.
The Autonomous Modular Scanner sensor, designed and built at NASA Ames,
is
currently configured to observe fires and other high-temperature
sources. The
scanner can detect temperature differences from less than one-half
degree to
approximately 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. These temperature
discrimination
capabilities are important to improving fire mapping.
Scientists also are testing the Collaborative Decision Environment
software, a
new technology application originally developed by NASA for the Mars
Exploration Rovers. This software is an interactive tool that allows
sharing of
vast amounts of information with members of the mission team for
effective
planning and acquisition of imagery over critical fire events.
Dryden completed a six-month 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.
"In the not-too-distant future, we'll look back at unmanned aircraft
demonstrations like the Western States Fire Mission and realize that
these
flights paved the way for civilian uses of unmanned aircraft that
benefit all
of us," said Brent Cobleigh, Ikhana project manager at NASA Dryden.
The aircraft's name, Ikhana, is derived from a Native American Choctaw
word
that means intelligent, conscious or aware. NASA acquired the aircraft
in
November 2006 and intends to use it for Earth science and atmospheric
science
data collection missions.
Pilots from NASA and Ikhana manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical
Systems,
Inc. operate the aircraft from a ground control station at Dryden,
located at
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. NASA sponsorship is provided by the
agency's
Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C.
For photos and illustrations supporting the wildfire imaging mission,
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/newsphotos/index.html
For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov
##
Contact:
Jonas
Dino
NASA Ames Research Center
650-604-5612
jdino@mail.arc.nasa.gov
This
text is derived from:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2007/07_57AR.html
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