Robot planes get a dose of science
MAR 05, 2010
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.024136
Nature News : Later this month a remote-controlled aircraft is scheduled to take off from the Mojave Desert in California and veer west over the Pacific Ocean. The Global Hawk, a slim-winged, high-flying jet, was designed for military reconnaissance and tested in both Iraq and Afghanistan. But this time the plane will fly for science.The plane will measure concentrations of ozone, aerosols and various trace gases along a 15000 kilometer loop around Hawaii. At the same time, atmospheric scientists hope that the drone’s flight will usher in an era of unmanned scientific aircraft that can probe parts of the sky normally inaccessible to manned planes.
© 2010 American Institute of Physics
