NASA Flies Hand-Launched UAS Into Volcanic Plume

By Danielle Lucey - AUVSI - Earth science researchers at NASA recently completed a study near San Jose, Costa Rica, where they sent Dragon Eye unmanned aerial vehicles into the path of a volcanic plume. The project will study the chemical environment of the Turrialba Volcano through this remote-sensing technology.

“It is very difficult to gather data from within volcanic eruption columns and plumes, because updraft wind speeds are very high and high ash concentrations can quickly destroy aircraft engines,” says David Pieri, the project’s principal investigator and a research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Such flight environments can be very dangerous to manned aircraft.”

The team hand-launched the systems for a total of 10 flights between 11-14 March along the rim of the summit crater at approximately 10,500 feet above sea level. The UAVs’ data from their Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection sensors were compared with NASA’s Terra Earth observation satellite. The agency plans to use the data to mitigate hazards for the National and International Airspace Systems.

NASA acquired the Dragon Eyes, manufactured by AeroVironment, through the U.S. Marine Corps. The 5.9-pound aircraft can fly for up to an hour inside volcanic plumes.

“This project is great example of how unmanned aircraft can be used for beneficial civilian purposes — in this case for better understanding Earth system processes and the impact of volcanism on our atmosphere,” says Matthew Fladeland, airborne science manager at NASA’s Ames Research Center. “By taking these retired military tools, we can very efficiently and effectively collect measurements that improve NASA satellite data and aviation safety.”