On Tuesday, NASA researchers performed their first wildfire test flight mission, using their new airspace management technology.
In the beautiful Salinas foothills, NASA researchers based out of the Ames Research Center in Mountain View had turned this private land into their very own live experiment.
Their mission is to help crews fight fires from the air both day and night, sending all types of aircraft in the sky 24/7. Right now, pilots can’t fly at night or in heavy smoke, which limits firefighting efforts.
“It’s something that I’ve spent years talking to firefighters from different agencies about and it’s just really exciting to actually, you know, see the drones take off. And then, see the real live display, not simulated data but the actual live location of all those pieces being tracked in our system,” said Kathryn Chapman, NASA ACERO Associate Project Manager for Partnerships.
One of NASA’s launch sites was in rugged terrain. They purposely picked this remote spot because of the hills, vegetation, and weak cell service.
“The ground station operator here is going to take over the control of the aircraft and fly the flight plan which we have scattered out there. So it’s a lawnmower pattern and going back-and-forth across the hillside, and the purpose is to simulate a prescribed burn,” said NASA ACERO Field and Flight Evaluations Subproject Manager Jonas Jonsson. He is also the mission manager for this specific project.
NASA is testing its portable airspace management system or PAMS to make sure drones and remotely piloted helicopters stay inside their approved flight paths, wildfire operation zones, and of course, avoid any collisions in the air.
By first making sure their aircraft communication runs smoothly, they can then safely deploy drones and remotely piloted aircraft at night and in heavy smoke. It’s something they never could do before.
Extending the time crews can fight fires is crucial and can make all the difference in stopping a wildfire from getting out of control.
NASA researchers said this mission was meaningful and personal.
“This project is super personal to me,” said NASA ACERO Second Shift Subproject Manager Spencer Monheim. “I grew up in Southern California. I’ve been evacuated. I’ve live in a canyon where every year you get fires. And so, being able to help with this project and help our end users is really kind of just a dream come true.”
“It’s a real good motivation for in the morning when you get up at 5 a.m. or something to head out and do the flight tests. You know that you’re doing it for a good cause,” said Jonsson.
For NASA researchers, they said this mission is not just rewarding but brings them one step closer to reality. They hope fire crews can start using their new technology out in the field soon.
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Mary Lee
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