NASA ERAST Program
The Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology, or ERAST program was a NASA program to develop cost-effective, slow-flying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can perform long-duration science missions at altitudes above 60,000 ft (18,000 m). The project included a number of technology development programs conducted by the joint NASA-industry ERAST Alliance. The project was formally terminated in 2003.[1]
Program overview
According to NASA, "ERAST was a multiyear effort to develop the aeronautical and sensor technologies for a new family of remotely piloted aircraft intended for upper atmospheric science missions. Designed to cruise at slow speeds for long durations at altitudes of 60,000 to 100,000 ft (18,000 to 30,000 m), such aircraft could be used to collect, identify, and monitor environmental data to assess global climate change and assist in weather monitoring and forecasting. They also could serve as airborne telecommunications platforms, performing functions similar to communications satellites at a fraction of the cost of lofting a satellite into space."[2]
The ERAST program was sponsored by the Office of Aeronautics and Space Transportation Technology at NASA Headquarters, and was managed by NASA
Industry partners in the ERAST Alliance included Aurora Flight Sciences, AeroVironment, General Atomics, Scaled Composites, Thermo-Mechanical Systems, Hyperspectral Sciences, and Longitude 122 West.[1]
The ERAST project was one of three, large scale aeronautics industry partnerships launched by NASA Headquarters between 1992 and 1994.[3] The partnerships were based on the industry model for multi-party, R&D partnerships, initially proposed for NASA Space Commercialization programs based on the US Department of Commerce's precedent established for the Semiconductor industry, Sematech.[4] The ERAST project used the innovative Joint Sponsored Research Agreement (JSRA), adopted by NASA officials to satisfy technology commercialization policy objectives and credited by the ERAST participants as a key enabler of the technical success of the program. The JSRA was based on NASA's Space Act Agreement Authority, which permitted flexible teaming, cost-sharing and intellectual property sharing to maximize collaboration for rapid technology development progress. The Federal contribution to ERAST was reported at $42.2 million while the private sector contribution was reported at $30,000 along with in-kind contributions of personnel, equipment and background intellectual property.[5] The ERAST JSRA was one of three aeronautics partnership agreements designed by American Technology Alliances (AmTech). AmTech served as the ERAST facilitator and partnership manager for the duration of the project.
The types of science mission ERAST prepares for can include remote sensing for Earth sciences studies, hyperspectral imaging for agriculture monitoring, tracking of severe storms, and serving as telecommunications relay platforms.[2]
A parallel effort headed by Ames developed lightweight, microminiaturized sensors that can be carried by these aircraft for environmental research and Earth monitoring.
Additional technologies considered by the ERAST Alliance include lightweight materials, avionics, aerodynamics, and other forms of propulsion suitable for extreme altitudes and duration.
Although ERAST Alliance members were responsible for aircraft development and operation, NASA had primary responsibility for overall program leadership, major funding, individual project management, development and coordination of payloads. NASA also worked on long-term issues with the Federal Aviation Administration and developed technology to make operation of these remotely operated aircraft in
History
In 1987 and 1988, NASA conducted atmospheric ozone-layer depletion studies using two piloted NASA aircraft, a modified
In 1988, NASA decided to obtain a HALE UAV named "Perseus" to deal with these problems, designating the effort the Small High-Altitude Science Aircraft (SHASA) program. Perseus was designed by a startup company named
Other government agencies were also interested in HALE UAVs, and so the ERAST effort was born in September 1994 as a high-profile item in NASA'a agenda. ERAST was formally intended to promote the use of UAVs in commercial science applications, particularly high-altitude atmospheric research. ERAST also has focused on development of new miniaturized sensor and avionics systems for the UAVs and for NASA's Lockheed ER-2.[1]
Project components and programs
Aircraft
Aurora Perseus and Theseus
Built by
Pathfinder, Centurion, and Helios
The
Pathfinder, which was designed and built by AeroVironment, is essentially a flying wing with a 99-foot (30 m) span. Solar photovoltaic cells mounted on the top of the wing produce up to 7,200 watts, powering the aircraft's six electric-driven propellers, as well as the suite of scientific instruments. Backup batteries store solar energy to power the aircraft at night.[9]
ALTUS
The
The ALTUS II made its first flight on May 1, 1996. With its engine at first augmented by a single-stage turbocharger, the ALTUS II reached an altitude of 37,000 ft during its first series of development flights at Dryden in August, 1996. In October of that year, the ALTUS II was flown in an
After major modifications and upgrades, including installation of a two-stage turbocharger in place of its original single-stage unit, a larger fuel tank and additional intercooling capacity, the ALTUS II returned to flight status in the summer of 1998. The goal of its development test flights was to reach one of the major ERAST Level 2 performance milestones, to fly a gasoline-fueled, piston-engine remotely piloted aircraft for several hours at an altitude at or near 60,000 feet. On March 5, 1999, The ALTUS II maintained flight at or above 55,000 feet for three hours, reaching a maximum density altitude of 57,300 feet during the mission.[10]
Sensors and instruments
ARTIS camera
A small Airborne Real-Time Imaging System (ARTIS) camera, developed by HyperSpectral Sciences, Inc., under ERAST project, was flight demonstrated during the summer of 1999 on board the
DASI
The Digital Array Scanned
DSA
In March 2002, NASA Dryden, in cooperation with
In April 2003, a second series of flight demonstrations focusing on "non-cooperative" aircraft (those without operating transponders), was conducted in restricted airspace near
See also
- NASA Mini-Sniffer
- Airborne Science Program
- NASA Earth Science Enterprise(formerly "Mission to Planet Earth")
- Atmospheric satellite
References
This article contains material that originally came from the web article "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles" by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain.
- ^ a b c d e "Goebel, Greg, "The NASA ERAST HALE UAV Program", Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, chapter 15. Exists in the public domain". Vectorsite.net. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ a b c d "NASA Altus II fact sheet". NASA. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ Research on the Implementation of the NASA Joint Sponsored Research Program and Other Innovative Mechanisms for Commercializing NASA Funded Technologies, NASA-CR-205083
- ^ NASA Space Commercialization, Outreach Program Plan,SRI International Project 6569 Report to NASA, January 1984, Page 28
- ^ JSRA Agreements Summary Report to NASA, February 18, 1996
- ^ "Fact Sheet: Perseus B Remotely Piloted Aircraft". NASA Armstrong. February 28, 2014.
- ^ Greg Goebel (March 1, 2010). "The NASA ERAST HALE UAV Program". Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "NASA Pathfinder fact sheet". NASA. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- Science Daily. November 4, 1997. Retrieved September 5, 2008.
- ^ "NASA Altus I page". NASA. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ ""The use of DASI in the ERAST/Pathfinder Science Project", NASA fact sheet". Geo.arc.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on July 5, 1997. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ "Highlights from the DASI Pathfinder Mission, NASA, October 1997, archived at archive.org". March 12, 2007. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
External links
- Katzberg, Stephen J. (August 1996). "Performance Assessment of the Digital Array Scanned Interferometer Concept". NASA Technical Paper 3570. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.30.4304.
- Guy Norris (October 20, 1999). "Out on a wing". Flightglobal.
- Hammer, Philip D, et al., "Surface Reflectance Mapping Using Interferometric Spectral Imagery from a Remotely Piloted Aircraft"
- Pathfinder mission page, no longer active at NASA, archived at archive.org
- Pathfinder/Helios Archived September 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine