| August 6, 2002 NASA Lightning Study Completes First Flight of Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle A NASA team studying the causes of electrical storms and their effects on our home planet launched their first research flight Sunday, Aug. 4, using an uninhabited aerial vehicle to overfly the Florida Everglades. Based at the Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, researchers with the Altus Cumulus Electrification Study (ACES) used an uninhabited aerial vehicle, or UAV, to make four passes over a storm in the western portion of the Everglades. Reaching altitudes of up to 50,000 feet, the flight began at 1:14 p.m. EDT and lasted approximately three hours. Information from the flight gave researchers the opportunity to test the range and altitude of a typical science mission using the Altus II twin turbo uninhabited aerial vehicle, built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., of San Diego. "Initial assessment of the data obtained shows great promise," said ACES project manager Tony Kim of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. "One reason we chose the Altus aircraft is its slow flight speed of 70 to 100 knots (80 to 115 mph), which enables it to fly near thunderstorms for long periods of time. During this first flight, the aircraft was able to stay in proximity of the active thunderstorm for a total of 27 minutes demonstrating the capability of investigating storms over their lifecycle. This bodes well for future missions." With dual goals of gathering weather data safely and testing the adaptability of the uninhabited aircraft, the ACES study is a collaboration among the Marshall Center, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., Pennsylvania State University in University Park and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. ### Contacts:
Steve Roy
Marshall Space Flight Center
256-544-0034 | |   The Altus Cumulus Electrification Study (ACES) will utilize the Altus II uninhabited aerial vehicle, chosen for its slow flight speed of 70 to 100 knots (80 to 115 mph), long endurance, and high-altitude flight (up to 65,000 feet). These qualities give the Altus the ability to fly near thunderstorms for long periods of time, allowing investigations to be conducted over the entire life cycle of storms. The Altus II was built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. in San Diego. (NASA/Dryden/Tom Tschida)
 Tony Kim and Dr. Richard Blakeslee of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., test aircraft sensors that will be used to measure the electric fields produced by thunderstorms as part of NASA's Altus Cumulus Electrification Study (ACES). Kim and Blakeslee are based at the National Space Science and Technology Center in Huntsville. -- a partnership with the Marshall Center, Alabama universities, industry and federal agencies. It enables scientists, engineers and educators to share research and facilities, focusing on space science, Earth sciences, materials science, biotechnology, propulsion, information technology and optics. (NASA/MSFC/Doug Stoffer)
 Using special equipment aboard the aerial vehicle, scientists in the Altus Cumulus Electrification Study will gather electric, magnetic and optical measurements of the thunderstorms, gauging elements such as lightning activity and the electrical environment in and around the storms. (NASA/Dryden/Tom Tschida) More Images |
