NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Development of an Autonomous Lidar Instrument for Use on a UAV Platform in Support of Homeland SecurityResearchers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center have developed an autonomous aerosol backscatter lidar instrument for use on the high-altitude ER-2 aircraft (for more information please visit http://cpl.gsfc.nasa.gov). Work is currently underway to transfer this instrument to a UAV platform such as Global Hawk. While the NASA applications are Earth science and satellite validation, there is clearly a Homeland Security application for such an instrument. One novel concept is to have a fleet of UAVs stationed around the country, each UAV having a payload including a lidar instrument. In the event of attack, the appropriate UAV(s) could be launched for purposes of, e.g., plume detection and tracking that are critical for decision support. While the existing lidar instrument is not directly capable of biological species discrimination, it is capable of plume tracking and thus can demonstrate to DHS the capabilities and utility of such instruments. Using NASA funding we will have an instrument ready to fly on Global Hawk by end of 2005. We would like to find partners, either within private industry or within DHS who would be willing to contribute aircraft access and flight hours for a demonstration flight. Longer-term partnerships to develop more advanced and more capable types of lidar instruments are also desirable. In this presentation we will detail the existing ER-2 lidar instrument and show measurement results, show the progress made on adapting to the Global Hawk platform, present concepts for DHS uses of such instruments, and openly pursue partnership opportunities.
Document ID
20050180351
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
McGill, Matthew
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Famiglietti, Joe
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2005
Subject Category
Avionics And Aircraft Instrumentation
Meeting Information
Meeting: Research and Development for Partnering in Homeland Security
Location: Boston, MA
Country: United States
Start Date: April 26, 2005
End Date: April 28, 2005
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available