Apr.

20, 2005

Dryden Flight Research Center

P.O. Box 273
Edwards, California 93523
Phone 661/276-3449
FAX 661/276-3566

Beth Hagenauer
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
Phone: 661/276-7960

Madelyn Appelbaum
NOAA Headquarters
Phone: 202/482-4858

Kimberly Kasitz
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.
Phone: 858/455-2294
RELEASE: 05-20

NOAA AND NASA BEGIN CALIFORNIA UAV FLIGHT EXPERIMENT

Can unmanned aircraft be used effectively for Earth Science

experiments? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), in cooperation with NASA and General Atomics Aeronautical
Systems Inc. (GA-ASI), are seeking to answer that question during a
series of atmospheric and oceanic research flights off the California
coastline this spring.

The UAV Flight Demonstration Project, using GA-ASI's Altair remotely

operated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is the first time NOAA has
funded a UAV Earth science demonstration mission. The experiment is
aimed at introducing a new era of science by using a UAV in an
operational environment to fill research gaps in critical areas, such
as weather and water, climate and ecosystem monitoring and
management.

The Altair, whose development was funded in part by NASA, is carrying

a payload of instruments for measuring ocean color, atmospheric
composition and temperature and surface imaging during six flights
totaling about 53 hours flight time. The flights, during late April
and early May, will be flown at altitudes of up to 45,000 feet and as
long as 20 hours in duration. Three missions will be focused on the
Channel Islands area off southern California; the others will extend
further out over the Pacific Ocean.

Objectives of the experiment include evaluating UAVs for future

scientific and operational requirements related to NOAA's oceanic and
atmospheric research, climate research, marine sanctuary mapping and
enforcement, nautical charting, and fisheries assessment and
enforcement.

"NASA is glad to see that UAVs are being used for more and more
diverse and important operations," said Terrence Hertz, Deputy
Associate Administrator for Technology, NASA Aeronautics Research
Mission Directorate. "We're looking forward to more breakthrough
research in areas such as regenerative fuel cells, multi-UAV
operations through networking, and routine access to the National
Airspace System that will allow UAVs to play an expanding role in
Earth Science and other types of missions."

"UAVs will allow us to see weather before it happens, detect toxins

before we breathe them, and discover harmful and costly algal blooms
before the fish do -- and there is an urgency to more effectively
address these issues," said Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., Under
Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA
Administrator.

"This mission is truly historic in that it marks the first time that
scientific payloads of this quality and complexity have been flown in
a remotely operated aircraft system," noted Thomas J. Cassidy Jr.,
president and chief executive officer of General Atomics Aeronautical
Systems.

"Altair has proven its ability to perform long-endurance,

high-altitude scientific missions in controlled airspace for NASA,
and we look forward to continuing to demonstrate the strength of
government agency-industry collaborations by adding NOAA as our new
partner," Cassidy added."

The Altair, a high-altitude civil derivative of GA-ASI's Predator B

military UAV, was designed for scientific and commercial research
missions. It has an 86-foot wingspan, can reach altitudes up to
52,000 feet and remain airborne for more than 30 hours.

For more information on the NOAA/NASA UAV Flight Demonstration

Project, log on to: http://uav.noaa.gov

TELEVISION EDITORS: Interview segments and B-roll footage to support

this release will be aired during the Video File feeds on NASA TV
beginning on April 20. NASA TV is available on the Web and via
satellite in the continental U.S. on AMC-6, at 72 degrees west
longitude, transponder 9, 3880 MHz, vertical polarization, audio at
6.8 MHz. In Alaska and Hawaii, NASA TV is available on AMC-7, at 137
degrees west longitude, transponder 18, 4060 MHz, vertical
polarization, audio at 6.8 MHz. For NASA TV information and schedules
on the Internet, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

PHOTO EDITORS: A photo of the Altair aircraft in flight is available

for downloading in publication-quality resolutions at:

http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/Altair_PredatorB/HTML/EC03-0154-
3.html

-end-