![\"global](\"http:\/\/www.ssec.wisc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2012\/08\/shis_globalhawk_565.jpg\" "\\"shis_globalhawk_565\\"")
<\/a>The Global Hawk unmanned aircraft.<\/p><\/div>\n
Global Hawk Unmanned Aircraft Systems provide an ideal platform for studying the inner workings of hurricanes. The drones can fly at altitudes between 55,000 and 65,000 feet, with flights lasting 24 hours each. HS3 will utilize two Global Hawks, one with an instrument suite geared toward measurement of the environment surrounding the storm and the other with instruments suited to inner-core structure and processes.<\/p>\n
SSEC\u2019s Scanning High-Resolution Interferometer Sounder (S-HIS<\/a>) is going to lead the way in that quest, riding into the hearts of hurricanes on an unmanned drone as part of NASA\u2019s Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission<\/a>. The S-HIS instrument will capture high spectral resolution infrared data and measure both cloud radiative properties and sea-surface\/land temperatures.<\/p>\n SSEC research engineers and technicians recently completed the process of integrating the S-HIS to its Global Hawk aircraft platform at the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California.<\/p>\n Joe Taylor and Nick Ciganovich check out the Scanning High-Resolution Interferometer Sounder.<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cOur integration consisted of three primary interfaces: mechanical, electrical, and communications,\u201d says SSEC Research Engineer Joe Taylor. \u201cWe needed to ensure that the instrument was installed properly and then verify each of these interfaces. Integration was the final step in a very exhaustive design process in which the instrument\u2019s compatibility with the aircraft was analyzed.\u201d<\/p>\n Mechanical integration consisted primarily of mounting the instrument on the aircraft, verifying the instrument\u2019s mass and center of gravity, and the aircraft\u2019s mass and balance with all instruments installed. The Global Hawk\u2019s electrical system was also tested to insure compatibility prior to connecting the S-HIS to aircraft power.<\/p>\n Joe Taylor installing the S-HIS onto the Global Hawk.<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cThe Global Hawk is more advanced than other aircraft in terms of communications,\u201d Taylor says. \u201cIt has an aircraft network that allows direct communication with the instrument from the ground station via KU band satellite communication. For the comm portion of integration we needed to verify that this link was working correctly, both at the aircraft network level and up the complete communication chain of instrument to aircraft to ground via KU satellite.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>