Earth Science Capability Demonstrations Program

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Earth Science Capability Demonstrations Program
Tim Cox NASA Dryden Flight Research Center(661)
276-2126 Timothy.H.Cox_at_nasa.gov
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Overview

• Earth Science Capability Demonstration (ESCD)
  program
• Suborbital Science / Aeronautics joint
  partnership
• Focused on the development of UAV capability for
  Earth Science application
• Six main elements within ESCD
• Repeat Pass Interferometry
• UAV Mission Demonstrations
• Suborbital Telepresence
• UAV Technology Development Testbed
• Intelligent Payload Active Control Technology
• UAV Capability Assessment
• Highlights to date regarding Capability
  Assessment
• Overview
• Missions
• Technical Analysis
• Economic Analysis
• Next Steps

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Repeat Pass Interferometry

• Airborne Repeat Pass Interferometry Synthetic
  Aperture Radar (SAR) requires precision
  trajectory control (/- 5m)
• Measure the deformation of volcanoes, glaciers,
  faults, and earthquakes
• Utilizes Global Differential GPS requiring
  satellite link
• Sensor pod-mounted for later transition to UAV
• G-III surrogate used to develop and demonstrate
  SAR and precision navigation/control
• UAV surrogate used due to
• Large flight hours expected, gt100 hrs of
  development/calibration
• Desire to do on-demand science missions in the
  NAS until UAV access is routine

• SAR, SAR-Pod, and aircraft modifications in-work
• Demos in 2007

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UAV Mission Demonstrations
Altair NASA/NOAA Channel Islands Mission

• Goals Atmospheric river sampling, marine
  sanctuary enforcement surveillance, long duration
  UAV operations (20 hours)
• Gas Chromatograph, Ozone Photometer, Ocean Color,
  Microwave Sounder, Cameras
• Mission series illustrated the need for NASA
  investment
• Access to NAS required labor intensive
  coordination and came with significant
  restrictions
• Mission integration too time consuming
• Ku communication is major expense, 10 20 /
  minute
• Altair Status
• Ku band system problem at high altitude fixed
• Currently integrating science instruments
• Flights scheduled for second week of November

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UAV Mission Demonstrations
Altair NASA/USFS Western States Fire Mission

• Multi-spectral camera to locate and map known and
  unknown fires in National Forest during 2006 fire
  season
• Thermo geo-rectified imagery provided to the
  National Interagency Fire Center in near
  real-time
• Sensors pod-mounted (under belly) for quicker
  aircraft reconfiguration
• Aircraft will be tasked in similar fashion to
  other USFS assets
• Can operate day and night

• Will be ready to respond from So. California to
  Montana
• Flights start in June
• Long duration over-land operation in the NAS will
  provide challenges

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Suborbital Telepresence

• Development of technologies and standards for
  low-cost airborne sensor webs
• System allows for on-board sensor
• Processing and storage
• Remote monitoring
• Remote control
• Demonstrations completed on ER-2 and Altair
• 12-channel Iridium for low-cost, global coverage
• Data ported to internet in near real-time
• Dynamically reconfigurable to multiple aircraft,
  satellite, ground source communication
• Airborne Sensor Web in-work
• Successful demonstration of high rate aerial
  networking (LOS)
• 5 MB/sec demonstrated, 10 MB/sec believed to be
  possible
• Linked through internet

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UAV Technology Development Testbed
Autonomous Mission Management Integrated Vehicle
System Management Adaptive Optimal Flight Control

• NASA is acquiring a Predator-B for UAV technology
  demonstrations Spring 2006
• Initial mods will include a research system that
  can command the aircraft and network with
  onboard sensors and ground-based systems.

• Major Demo planned in 2007
• Autonomous fire hunting/mapping mission with USFS
• Integrates sensors, autonomous mission planning
  and retasking
• Automated contingency management
• Advanced system management
• Adaptive control
• Design of modifications will allow rapid
  reconfiguration
• Coordinating transfer of three Global Hawk
  demonstrators

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Intelligent Payload Active Control Technology

• Objective Provide a cost-effective piloted
  flight capability for developing payload / flight
  control interface
• Intelligent Mission Management algorithm
  development
• To enable long endurance, payload directed flight
• Bridge between piloted / UAV

• Applications
• Severe weather monitoring
• RPI missions
• Multi-vehicle coordinated missions
• Status
• NASA, non-NASA organizations are expressing
  interest
• Initially looking at ER-2 as host
• Continuing cost-benefit analysis

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UAV Capability Assessment

• Rest of presentation covers the last of the six
  ESCD elements The Civil UAV Capability Assessment

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UAV Capability Assessment Overview

• Need Strategic funding of UAV technology
  portfolio to efficiently meet future, civil UAV
  capability requirements.
• Goal Develop a Civil UAV Capability Assessment
  (2015)
• Primary customer Sub-Orbital Science Program
  (Yuhas)
• Complement DOD roadmap
• Homeland Security, Commercial, Land Management,
  Earth Science considered
• Broad assessment vetted with participating
  agencies
• Objectives
• Document future missions of civil UAVs based on
  user defined needs
• Document the technologies necessary to support
  those missions
• Discuss SOA of those technologies, identifying
  those in progress, those planned, and those for
  which no current plans exist
• Provide foundations for a comprehensive civil UAV
  roadmap

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UAV Capability Assessment Overview

• Status
• Initial draft version available via web-site
• Information sources for initial draft based
  primarily on
• Sub-orbital Science Missions of the Future
  Workshop (Earth Science)
• personal interviews U.S. Coast Guard, U. S.
  Forest Service, Idaho Department of Fish and
  Game, University of Hawaii Dept. of Oceanography
• Sensor / Power and Propulsion Workshop
• Update will soon be available on web-site with
  information from
• Department Homeland Security Workshop
• Land Management and Coastal Zone Dynamics
  Workshop

http//www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/research/civuav
/index.html
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UAV Mission Reviews

• Mission assumptions
• Unconstrained by policy issues
• Access to the NAS
• FAA certification issues
• Time period of interest is 10 15 years in the
  future
• Breakdown of Missions
• Earth Science Community 33
• Weather Focus
• Climate Focus
• Atmospheric Composition Focus
• Earth Surface Interior Focus
• Carbon Cycle / Biogeochemistry / Ecosystems Focus
  
• Water and Energy Cycle Focus
• DHS Community 5
• Border Patrol
• Coast Guard / Counter Narcotics
• Land Management (Applied Science) Community 16
• Oceanography
• Wildlife and Habitat

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Example Mission Description
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Technical Analysis
Capabilities
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Technical Analysis
Earth Science High Altitude Long Endurance
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Technical Analysis
Key Capabilities

• Each mission reviewed and capabilities graded
  according to following scale
• Five most frequent capabilities requiring
  development beyond SOA (graded 3 or 5)
• Access to the airspace
• Advanced Communication
• Long Range / Long Endurance
• Outside Command and Control
• Quick Deployment

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Technical Analysis
Key Technologies

• Technologies identified that support capabilities

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Technical Analysis
Key Technologies

• Technologies cross- indexed to capabilities
  five most frequently identified to require
  development shown below

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Economic Analysis
Cost Review

• Non-recurring costs
• Vehicle and ground station acquisition
• Payload integration
• Vehicle deployment to base of operations
• Support team and equipment deployment
• Recurring costs
• Direct costs such as fuel, routine, maintenance,
  ground operator
• Insurance
• Communication
• Data analysis
• Typically costs are defined in units of dollars
  per flight hour
• Not a good metric for considering non-recurring
  costs

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Economic Analysis
Cost Goals

• Current piloted platforms costs quoted
  approximately 4000 - 6000 per flight hour
• Some customers at workshops have indicated that
  they would migrate missions to UAV platforms if
  cost was one order of magnitude less than current
  costs
• Goal 400 per hour

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Economic Analysis
UAV Costs for Earth Science Missions
Cost Business Model Analysis for Civilian UAV
Missions. Basil Papadales. Moire, Inc. June,
2004.
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Economic Analysis
Cost Reduction Measures

• Technologies
• Autonomous mission management
• Limits communication bandwidth requirements
• Involves less personnel to operate and maintain
• Intelligent System Health Monitoring, Reliable
  Flight Systems, and Sophisticated Contingency
  Management influence on reliability
• Longer period for spreading non-recurring costs
• Lower insurance costs (increased reliability)
• Reduced pre- and post-flight processing time
• Intelligent Data Handling and Processing
• Less labor intensive handling of data
• More on-board data processing, also decreases
  communication bandwidth requirement
• OTH and Network Communication
• Enables more efficient use of communication
  systems
• Pay only for what you need, when you need it
• Cheaper, quicker deployment times
• Open Architecture Systems
• Reduces payload integration and de-integration
  time
• Big cost driver for Earth Science Missions
• UAV sensor advances

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Economic Analysis
Cost Reduction Measures

• Policies
• Government investments to promote economies of
  scale
• Ford Motor Company and War Department purchase of
  cars and trucks in early 1900
• Air Force purchase of tanker version of Boeing
  707
• File and fly access to the airspace to open
  market
• Insurance pool expansion
• Increased competition
• Certification policy issues
• Users desire access to surface

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Next Steps for Assessment

• Investigate the commercial sector, and document
  missions
• Identify technology gaps
• Working groups
• Update version of document 03/06
• View to roadmap

Website http//www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/resea
rch/civuav/index.html
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Questions?
Tim Cox NASA DFRC 661-276-2126
timothy.h.cox_at_nasa.gov