Video: NASA's Ikhana UAV -- Predator B Expands Scientific missions

 

 

http://www.aero-tv.net/index.cfm?videoid=7f068f23-2ead-4b09-9bf0-735bad188c6d

 

 

The aircraft, designed for long-endurance, high-altitude flight, has been modified and instrumented for use in multiple civil research roles.

NASA's Suborbital Science Program within the Science Mission Directorate is Ikhana's primary customer, using the aircraft for Earth science studies. A variety of atmospheric and remote sensing instruments, including duplicates of those sensors on orbiting satellites, can be installed to collect data during flights lasting up to 30 hours. The Suborbital Science Program uses both manned and unmanned aircraft to collect data within the Earth's atmosphere, complementing measurements of the same phenomenon taken from space and those taken on the Earth's surface.