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Towards an Integrated Global

Observation System

NASA/NOAA/DOE Collaboration for

Utilization of Unmanned Aerial

Vehicles for Climate Change and Global Weather Research

August 3rd, 2004

“Land, Sea, Air & Space…Together”

John P. Sharkey@nasa.gov

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

(661) 276-3965

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Presentation Objectives

• Provide a framework for reference on the current state of UAV capabilities and technology investment strategies

• Suggest grounds rules and assumptions relevant to the scope and desired outcome of this workshop

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4

Our success is measured by the extent to which our results are used by others to improve the quality of life and

enable exploration and scientific knowledge

To pioneer and validate high-payoff aeronautical technologies

To improve the quality of lifeTo enable exploration and discovery

To extend the benefits of our innovation throughout society.

Aeronautics Research Mission

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UAV Technology Investments: Relevance to NASA Mission

Supports four Agency Strategic Objectives:

Objective 1.1: Understand how Earth is changing, better predict change, and understand the consequences for life on Earth

Objective 1.2: Expand and accelerate the realization of economic and societal benefits from Earth science, information, and technology.

Objective 3.2: Enhance the Nation’s security through aeronautical partnerships with DOD and other Government agencies

Objective 10.5: Create novel aerospace concepts to support Earth and space science mission

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Aeronautics Research Comprises

Three Integrated Programs

Safety/Security

AirspaceCapability

Cost

VehicleCapability

Environment

Subsonic Transports

Supersonic Aircraft

Personal Air Vehicles

Uninhabited Air Vehicles

Rotorcraft Extreme STOL

Subsonic Transports

Supersonic Aircraft

Personal Air Vehicles

Uninhabited Air Vehicles

Rotorcraft Extreme STOL

Aviation Safety & Security

Airspace Systems

Vehicle Systems

Aviation Safety & SecurityAviation Safety & Security

Airspace SystemsAirspace Systems

Vehicle SystemsVehicle Systems

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Current State of Science UAV Development

Helios (RFC/LH2) 50,000 – 100,000 feet 30 KIASRPV 14 days to 6 months 5 crew$10M per vehicle 100 kg HALE

Global Hawk 40,000-60,000 feet 250 KIASAutonomous 36 hours (large crew)$30M per vehicle 1000 kg

Proteus 40,000-60,000 feet 200 KIASOPV 24 hours 2+ crew$10M per vehicle 1000 kg HALE

Predator B/Altair 40,000-52,000 feet 170 KIASRPV 32 hours 2+ crew$4M per vehicle 400 kg MALE

Aerosonde-Class 200 – 20,000 feet 35 KIASRPV - Autonomous 20-30 hours 2-3 crew$75K per vehicle 2-5 kg (LALE)

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Examples of Other Mission-Unique UAV Developments

High Altitude Airship 50,000 – 70,000 feet 30-50 KIASRPV 30 days to 6 months 5 crew$40M per vehicle 10,000 kg HALE

Power Beaming 10-1000 feet 15 KIASRPV 24 hours 1 crew$5 K per vehicle 0.1 kg LALE

Golden-eye UAR 100-3,000 feet 140 KIASAutonomous 1-4 hours 2+ crew$TBD per vehicle 20 kg LASE

Micro-UAV 200 - 2500 feet 35 KIASRPV 1-2 hours 1 crew$10 K per vehicle 0.1 kg LASE

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0.1 day

1.0 day

10 day

100 day

Alti

tude

(kf

t)

0

25

50

75

100

125

150

2.0 day

5.0 day

20 day

50 day

0.2 day

0.5 day

HALE UAV Science Platform Capabilities

1000 kg

1 kg

1000 kg

200 kg

Current ROA Capability

300 kg

Endurance

4 kg

Piloted Aircraft Capability

200kg1

1000kg4

30kg2

200kg 3

50 kg

10,000kg6

7

10

9

17

14

150kg13

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128 2000kg5

10,000kg15

3000kg19

200kg16

Current HALE UAV

Platforms

Performance Objective #4:Heavy-Lifter

FY20

Performance Objective #1:

SOLEO FY09

150kg21

150kg18

150kg20

200kg

200kg

Performance Objective #3:

Global RangerFY14

Performance Objective #2:

Global ObserverFY12

SSMF“Low & Slow”

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Current NASA UAV Program Elements

HALE ROA Platform

Development

PlatformCapabilities

• Design tools• Storm Tracker• Global Observer• Global Ranger• Heavy Lifter

HALE ROAAccess to

the NAS

AirspaceCapabilities• Routine access to the NAS• Detect, See & Avoid sensors• Contingency management• HALE ROA Certification Standards

OptionallyPiloted

Vehicles

New PlatformOperations

• UAV transitional capabilities

• Integrated science campaign elements

• Multi-agency business models

NationalSecurity

Partnerships

SpiralDevelopment• DHS/Coast Guard• OSD/Sensor Demo• DARPA/J-UCAS - X-45A/Spiral 0 - X-45C/Spiral 1 - Common Operating System - Autonomous Refueling

Aeronautics Research Earth Science DoD/DHS

Earth ScienceMission

Capabilities

MissionCapabilities

• Precision Trajectory• Precision Formations• Global OTH & iNET• Mission Demos - Altair

- Global Hawk

- Proteus

- Others

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Key Enabling Technologies: HALE UAV’s• Intelligent Mission Management

- SOA: Remotely piloted contingency management with lost-link waypoint navigation

- Goal: Intelligent Decision Executive Architecture for autonomous, multi-ship, tactical group plan, resource allocation and contingency management for flight safety and mission assurance

• Routine Access to the International Airspace- SOA: Ad hoc Certificates of Authorization with 30-60 day lead-time - Goal: Same day “file & fly”, initially for HALE UAV’s, by establishing

equivalent levels of safety for manned flight; includes Detect, See & Avoid, Over-The-Horizon, and System Reliability technologies

• Endurance: Electric Propulsion- SOA: 10 kw solar array panels ( = 18%); Regenerative Fuel Cells =

250 w*hr/kg @ 10 kw output- Goal: 20 kw thin film solar cells ( > 15%);Solid Oxide Fuel Cells =

1200 w*hr/kg @ 1,000 kw;

• Ruggedized: All Weather Flight Operations- SOA: High altitude operations and clear weather launch & recovery - Goal: All weather launch, recovery and mission operation capabilities

using intelligent anti-icing with electrically hardened, hail tolerant composite airframes

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Key Enabling Technologies (con’t):• Daughtership Launch, Deploy and Recovery Ops

- SOA: Expendable dropsonde sensors @ 0.5 kg per dropsonde - Goal: HALE UAV mothership launch and recovery of smart

daughtership dropsondes

• Miniaturized UAV Flight Systems and Science Sensors

- SOA: Discrete PC-104 class boards: FCC, INS, GPS, and Comm- Goal: Integrated single-board MEMS-class flight systems;

embedded MEMS atmospheric chemistry sensors

• Aerodynamics:Efficient low Reynolds number airframes

- SOA: Re > 1e6 with fixed-geometry wing loading > 1.0- Goal: Re <<0.5e6 with deployable wing and airframe components

• Precision Trajectories and Formations - SOA: Integrated Differential GPS/INS for waypoint navigation and landing systems for two aircraft formations

- Goal: Precision trajectories and formations for multi-ship formations and swarms

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Future Collaboration Opportunity• Consider unconstrained science observation requirements

– Mission-unique platform capabilities – Assume airspace issues will be resolved– Assume reliability and affordability issues will be resolved

• Think in terms of complete observation systems:– UAV-enabled and/or tailored science instruments– Integrated global networks of observation platforms

• Land, sea, air, and space

– Integrated Information Systems for research and operations

• Provide ammunition on why NASA should invest in “climate and weather” UAV’s instead of other competing priorities:– Homeland Security– Planetary flight vehicles– UAV forest fire prevention, detection, and suppression – Precision agriculture

• Identify why DOE/NOAA/NASA collaboration is essential

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