The Wired UK (4/5, Brown) reports, "More than a year after first surveying the destructive Kilauea volcano in Hawaii, Nasa has sent its data-collecting drone UAVSAR back to the Big Island to assess how it shaped and shifted the Earth's surface." The Jet Propulsion Laboratory last sent the drone back in January 2010. "Nasa will now repeat its previous journey, mimicking the 2010 flight paths to an accuracy of five metres" in order to examine the changes. "The agency has previously used the UAVSAR technology to measure the temperate ice caps of Iceland and the boreal forests of Canada in 2009, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Haiti earthquakes in 2010."
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
FAA Fact Sheet
Introduction
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and serve diverse purposes. They may have a wingspan as large as a Boeing 737 or smaller than a radio-controlled model airplane. A pilot on the ground is always in charge of UAS operations.
Until recently, UASs mainly supported military and security operations, but that is rapidly changing. Unmanned aircraft promise new ways to increase efficiency, save money, enhance safety and even save lives. Interest is growing in a broad range of uses such as aerial photography, surveying land and crops, monitoring forest fires and environmental conditions, and protecting borders and ports against intruders.
Introduction
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and serve diverse purposes. They may have a wingspan as large as a Boeing 737 or smaller than a radio-controlled model airplane. A pilot on the ground is always in charge of UAS operations.
Until recently, UASs mainly supported military and security operations, but that is rapidly changing. Unmanned aircraft promise new ways to increase efficiency, save money, enhance safety and even save lives. Interest is growing in a broad range of uses such as aerial photography, surveying land and crops, monitoring forest fires and environmental conditions, and protecting borders and ports against intruders.
In the United States alone, approximately 50 companies, universities, and government organizations are developing and producing some 155 unmanned aircraft designs.
The FAA’s Role: Safety First
The FAA’s main concern about UAS operations in the National Airspace System (NAS) is safety. The NAS encompasses an average of more than 100,000 aviation operations per day, including commercial air traffic, cargo operations, and business jets. Additionally, there are more than 238,000 general aviation aircraft in the system at any time. It is critical that these aircraft do not endanger other users of the NAS or compromise the safety of persons or property on the ground.
Recreational use of the NAS is generally limited to operations to below 400 feet above ground level and away from airports and air traffic.
The FAA’s Role: Safety First
The FAA’s main concern about UAS operations in the National Airspace System (NAS) is safety. The NAS encompasses an average of more than 100,000 aviation operations per day, including commercial air traffic, cargo operations, and business jets. Additionally, there are more than 238,000 general aviation aircraft in the system at any time. It is critical that these aircraft do not endanger other users of the NAS or compromise the safety of persons or property on the ground.
Recreational use of the NAS is generally limited to operations to below 400 feet above ground level and away from airports and air traffic.
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