GLOBAL CHALLENGES

NASA to Use Drone Plane for Hurricane Research

NASA is about to begin the largest hurricane experiment ever conducted. A fleet of satellites and planes, including a high-tech drone, will combine to measure how tropical storms form and intensify into full-blown hurricanes.

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NASA to Use Drone Plane for Hurricane Research
The 2010 Hurricane Season began on June 1 and will continue through November. Although no major hurricanes have yet occurred�just four mild tropical storms and depressions�many scientists fear that a severe storm could devastate the already-damaged Haiti or stir up oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico. Adding to the worries is the insufficient knowledge about hurricane formation and growth.

(source: NASA)

"Hurricane formation and intensification is really the �holy grail' of this field," said Ed Zipser, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah, in a NASA press release.

On August 15, NASA scientists began a search for this so-called holy grail by embarking on the largest-ever hurricane research project and the first domestic hurricane study since 2001. With a fleet of seven planes and several satellites, the researchers are focusing on the physics of these destructive storms. The ultimate goal of the project, called Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP), is a better ability to predict a hurricane�s strength upon landfall.

An unmanned drone plane, Global Hawk, plays a major role in the study. Built by Northrop Grumman, the drone flies at different altitudes to capture each stage of a developing hurricane. Able to fly continuously for up to 16 hours, Global Hawk lets researchers make uninterrupted measurements of changing meteorological conditions.

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