NASA's Unmanned Drones Delivering Digital Maps to Fight Forest Fires

Welcome to the future, where the Trekkian dream of a unified Space Force taking care of all problems has just gotten closer.  Fighting hundreds of wildfires, the California fire department called out the big guns: NASA.

The Space Administration responded in fine style, deploying an Unmanned Ariel Vehicle to map the forest fires.  In conditions where firefighters can't see ten meters through the smoke, digital maps of active blazes are downloaded from the NASA drone to guide their efforts.

In what sounds like a Next Generation plot, the Ikhana drone being used is a prototype that wasn't even intended for testing until later this year but was pressed into service in the emergency situation.  Even better, its sensors had to be recalibrated for this function - and we say "better" because we have waited for years to talk about something being recalibrated in an emergency situation.

The scientifically-minded probe turns out to be much more useful than the military alternatives.  Army IR sensors are designed to pick out human heat signatures, which are just a wee bit colder than a roaring inferno (assuming the fire department get there in time).  Military models are designed to be rugged and easily operable in extreme conditions - but this means a lack of customizability.

The NASA mercury-cadmium-tellerite sensors (another phrase that makes us think of Starfleet) cover a much wider spectrum and can be tuned as needed.  At the moment they're set to detect temperatures up to 1,000 C to within half a degree.  Which kicks the hell out of the human eye's ability to discern "hot" from "really bloody hot."

This is the kind of coolness that is NASA:  "Yeah, we're looking at Mars and going to the moon, but we can save you from burning to death in the meantime too."

Posted by Luke McKinney.

http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=209100264

Comments

[Haven Rich]

Another reason for us curious glider pilots looking for lift to stay very clear of these forest fires! Its good to see our tax dollars being spent on this air vehicle instead of one designed to create destruction. Keep up the good work, thank you, Haven

[Vivid Unicorn]

Don't you know forest fires are good. We should let them burn. Its natural.