4 min read<\/p>\n
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/ed07-0042-09_crop.jpg?w=1585\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nThe UAVSAR underbelly pod is in clear view as NASA\u2019s Gulfstream-III research aircraft banks away over Edwards AFB<\/div>\nNASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nOn a changing planet, where phenomena like severe hurricanes, landslides, and wildfires are becoming more severe, scientists need data to assess and model disaster impacts and to potentially make predictions about hazards. NASA\u2019s C-20A aircraft is a significant asset that can carry key instruments for understanding the science behind these phenomena.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Based at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, the C-20A<\/a> is a military version of the Gulfstream III business jet and operates as an airborne science aircraft for a variety of Earth science research missions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\nIn October, the plane was deployed to fly over areas affected by Hurricane Milton. With winds of up to 120 miles per hour, the hurricane hit the Florida coast as a category 3 storm, and produced lightning, heavy rainfall, and a series of tornadoes. In the aftermath of the storm, the C-20A was outfitted with the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) instrument to collect detailed data about the affected flood areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur team focused specifically on inland river flooding near dense populations, collecting data that could help inform disaster response and preparation in the future,\u201d said Starr Ginn, C-20A aircraft project manager. \u201cBy all indications, this rapid response to support Hurricane Milton recovery efforts was a successful coordination of efforts by science and aircraft teams.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/AFRC2023-0087-04\/AFRC2023-0087-04~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1280&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nThe Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar, UAVSAR, is prepared for installation onto NASA\u2019s C-20A aircraft.\u00a0\u00a0THE UAVSAR uses a technique called interferometry to detect and measure very subtle deformations in the Earth\u2019s surface, and the pod is specially designed to be interoperable with unmanned aircraft in the future.\u00a0\u00a0It will gather data from Gabon, Africa in September of 2023.<\/div>\nNASA\/Steve Freeman<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe UAVSAR was developed by NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, and uses a technique called interferometry to detect subtle changes to Earth\u2019s surface. Interferometry uses the intersection of multiple wavelengths to make precise measurements. This detection system effectively measures the terrain changes or impacts before and after an extreme natural event.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When flown onboard an aircraft, radars like the UAVSAR can also provide more detail than satellite radars. \u201cWhere satellite instruments might only get a measurement every one to two weeks, the UAVSAR can fill in points between satellite passes to calibrate ground-based instruments,\u201d Ginn said. \u201cIt takes data at faster rates and with more precision. We can design overlapping flights in three or more directions to detect more textures and motions on the Earth\u2019s surface. This is a big advantage over the one-dimensional line-of-sight measurement provided by a single flight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The C-20A team also used the UAVSAR in October to investigate the Portuguese Bend landslide in Rancho Pales Verdes. The Portuguese Bend Landslide began in the mid- to late-Pleistocene period over 11,000 years ago. Though inactive for thousands of years, the landslide was reactivated in 1956 when a road construction project added weight to the top of it. Recently, the landslide has been moving at increasing rates during dry seasons. \u00a0<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s JPL scientists, Xiang Li, Alexander Handwerger, Gilles Peltzer, and Eric Fielding have been researching this landslide progression using satellite-based instruments. \u201cThe high-resolution capability of UAVSAR is ideal for landslides since they have relatively small features,\u201d said Ginn. \u201cThis helps us understand the different characteristics of the landslide body.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\n\n![\"NASA](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/jpegpia24102.width-1280.jpg?w=1280\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nNASA flew an aircraft equipped with Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) flew above California fires on Sept. 3 and 10, 2020.<\/div>\nNASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe C-20A airborne observatory also provided crucial insight for studies of wildfire. The Fire and Smoke Model Evaluation Experiment (FASMEE<\/a>), a multi-agency experiment led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, included flights of the C-20A. This experiment studied fire behavior and smoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cThe airborne perspective allows FASMEE researchers to better understand fire behavior and smoke production,\u201d said Michael Falkowski, program manager for NASA\u2019s Applied Sciences Wildland Fire program. \u201cHopefully this data will help mitigate fire risk, restore degraded ecosystems, and protect human communities from catastrophic fire.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Airborne data can inform how scientists and experts understand extreme phenomena on the ground. Researchers on the FASMEE experiment will use the data collected from the UAVSAR instrument to map the forest\u2019s composition and moisture to track areas impacted by the fire, and to study how the fire progressed.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
\u201cWe can explore how fire managers can use airborne data to help make decisions about fires,\u201d added Jacquelyn Shuman, FireSense project scientist at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n
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![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/ed07-0042-09_crop.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>On a changing planet, where phenomena like severe hurricanes, landslides, and wildfires are becoming more severe, scientists need data to assess and model disaster impacts and to potentially make predictions about hazards. NASA\u2019s C-20A aircraft is a significant asset that can carry key instruments for understanding the science behind these phenomena.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Based at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, the C-20A<\/a> is a military version of the Gulfstream III business jet and operates as an airborne science aircraft for a variety of Earth science research missions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n In October, the plane was deployed to fly over areas affected by Hurricane Milton. With winds of up to 120 miles per hour, the hurricane hit the Florida coast as a category 3 storm, and produced lightning, heavy rainfall, and a series of tornadoes. In the aftermath of the storm, the C-20A was outfitted with the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) instrument to collect detailed data about the affected flood areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur team focused specifically on inland river flooding near dense populations, collecting data that could help inform disaster response and preparation in the future,\u201d said Starr Ginn, C-20A aircraft project manager. \u201cBy all indications, this rapid response to support Hurricane Milton recovery efforts was a successful coordination of efforts by science and aircraft teams.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The UAVSAR was developed by NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, and uses a technique called interferometry to detect subtle changes to Earth\u2019s surface. Interferometry uses the intersection of multiple wavelengths to make precise measurements. This detection system effectively measures the terrain changes or impacts before and after an extreme natural event.\u00a0<\/p>\n When flown onboard an aircraft, radars like the UAVSAR can also provide more detail than satellite radars. \u201cWhere satellite instruments might only get a measurement every one to two weeks, the UAVSAR can fill in points between satellite passes to calibrate ground-based instruments,\u201d Ginn said. \u201cIt takes data at faster rates and with more precision. We can design overlapping flights in three or more directions to detect more textures and motions on the Earth\u2019s surface. This is a big advantage over the one-dimensional line-of-sight measurement provided by a single flight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The C-20A team also used the UAVSAR in October to investigate the Portuguese Bend landslide in Rancho Pales Verdes. The Portuguese Bend Landslide began in the mid- to late-Pleistocene period over 11,000 years ago. Though inactive for thousands of years, the landslide was reactivated in 1956 when a road construction project added weight to the top of it. Recently, the landslide has been moving at increasing rates during dry seasons. \u00a0<\/p>\n NASA\u2019s JPL scientists, Xiang Li, Alexander Handwerger, Gilles Peltzer, and Eric Fielding have been researching this landslide progression using satellite-based instruments. \u201cThe high-resolution capability of UAVSAR is ideal for landslides since they have relatively small features,\u201d said Ginn. \u201cThis helps us understand the different characteristics of the landslide body.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n The C-20A airborne observatory also provided crucial insight for studies of wildfire. The Fire and Smoke Model Evaluation Experiment (FASMEE<\/a>), a multi-agency experiment led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, included flights of the C-20A. This experiment studied fire behavior and smoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe airborne perspective allows FASMEE researchers to better understand fire behavior and smoke production,\u201d said Michael Falkowski, program manager for NASA\u2019s Applied Sciences Wildland Fire program. \u201cHopefully this data will help mitigate fire risk, restore degraded ecosystems, and protect human communities from catastrophic fire.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Airborne data can inform how scientists and experts understand extreme phenomena on the ground. Researchers on the FASMEE experiment will use the data collected from the UAVSAR instrument to map the forest\u2019s composition and moisture to track areas impacted by the fire, and to study how the fire progressed.\u00a0 <\/p>\n \u201cWe can explore how fire managers can use airborne data to help make decisions about fires,\u201d added Jacquelyn Shuman, FireSense project scientist at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure>Share<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n