This summer, University of Wisconsin researchers and engineers will use a unique NASA drone to conduct hurricane research.
Steve Velden, a senior researcher at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, said the drone is a NASA “Global Hawk,” which is a high-flying, pilot-less vehicle that will be instrumented with remote sensors.
“The mission will be to fly over hurricanes to take measurements of atmospheric quantities. We will analyze these data to help better understand the hurricane energetics,” Velden said.
Joe Taylor, a research engineer with the Space Science and Engineering Center, said the “science flights” will take place this hurricane season will begin in late August and end in early October.
He said field measurements will take place for about one month during each of the hurricane seasons of 2012-2014.
“The NASA Global Hawk Unmanned Aircraft Systems are ideal platforms for investigations of hurricanes. They are capable of flight altitudes greater than 55,000 feet and flight durations of up to 30 hours,” Taylor added.
Velden said NASA will control the drone from a ground facility in Virginia, and UW scientists will monitor remote sensing instruments during flights and collect information for processing and scientific analysis.
The primary purpose of the drone is to collect data on the hurricane that would normally be very hard to obtain, Velden added. He said it is also a safer alternative to piloted aircraft because it is autonomous and will fly above the storm rather than into it.
“The data collected will be quantities like winds, temperature and moisture structure, and aerosol measurements. All of these data should help us analyze better the conditions that control hurricane intensity changes,” Velden said.
UW’s Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies main goals include fostering collaborative research in the areas of atmospheric and earth system sciences, serving as a center where scientists and engineers can focus on satellite-related research and stimulating training of scientists and engineers in the discipline, according to the institute’s mission statement.
