Nasa’s unmanned Global Hawk aircraft has successfully completed the first of five scientific flights over the Pacific Ocean.
The aircraft will study atmospheric conditions over the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, directly measuring and sampling greenhouse gases, ozone-depleting substances, aerosols, and constituents of air quality in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere.
The mission’s measurements will be made using 11 instruments onboard the aircraft, and will cover longer time periods and greater geographic distances than any other scientific aircraft to date.
Global Hawk can fly autonomously for 30 hours at altitudes above 60,000ft and as far as 11,000nm on a pre-programmed flight path. It relays information through satellite and line-of-site communications links to a Nasa ground control station.
During the first flight, the plane flew 4,500nm over 14 hours at an altitude of 60,900ft over Alaska’s Kodiak Island.
Global Hawk will make several flights directly under the path of Nasa’s Aura satellite and other A-train Earth-observing satellites to calibrate and confirm satellite images.
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By GlobalDataThe mission is a joint project with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
