Distinguished by its large nose payload bay, NASA's Ikhana unmanned aircraft does an engine run prior to takeoff from General Atomics' Grey Butte airfield.
Bearing NASA tail number 870, NASA's Ikhana unmanned aircraft is a civil version of the Predator B designed for high-altitude, long-endurance science flights.
A small nose-mounted television camera enables pilots of NASA's Ikhana unmanned science aircraft to view the flight path ahead.
Narrow wings, a Y-tail and rear engine layout distinguish NASA's Ikhana science aircraft, a civil variant of General Atomics' Predator B unmanned aircraft system.
NASA's Ikhana unmanned long-endurance science aircraft, a civil variant of General Atomics' Predator B, takes to the sky over Southern California's high desert.
An efficient turboprop engine and large fuel capacity enable NASA's Ikhana unmanned aircraft to remain aloft for up to 30 hours on science or technology flights.
The bulging fairing atop the forward fuselage of NASA's Ikhana unmanned aircraft covers a variety of navigation, communications and science instruments.
NASA's Ikhana unmanned science demonstration aircraft, a civil variant of General Atomics' Predator B, lifts off from Grey Butte airfield in Southern California.
The narrow fuselage of NASA'S Ikhana unmanned science aircraft, a civil version of General Atomics' Predator B, is evident in this view from underneath.
Straight wings, a Y-tail and a pusher propeller distinguish NASA's Ikhana, a civil version of General Atomics Aeronautical system's Predator B unmanned aircraft.
NASA's Ikhana unmanned science demonstration aircraft, a civil variant of General Atomics' Predator B, lifts off from Grey Butte airfield in Southern California.
Its white surfaces in contrast with the deep blue sky, NASA's Ikhana unmanned science and technology development aircraft soars over California's high desert.
NASA's Ikhana, a civil variant of General Atomics' Predator B unmanned aircraft, takes to the sky for a morning checkout flight from the Grey Butte airfield.
Silhouetted by the morning sun, NASA's Ikhana, a civil version of the Predator B unmanned aircraft, is readied for flight By NASA Dryden crew chief Joe Kinn.
NASA's Ikhana unmanned science demonstration aircraft, a civil variant of General Atomics' Predator B, on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base after its ferry flight to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. NASA took possession of the new aircraft in November, 2006, and it arrived at the NASA center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on June 23, 2007.
NASA's Ikhana unmanned science demonstration aircraft over the U.S. Borax mine, Boron, California, near the Dryden/Edwards Air Force Base complex. NASA took possession of the new aircraft in November, 2006, and it arrived at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, Calif., on June 23, 2007.
NASA's Ikhana unmanned science demonstration aircraft over Southern California's high desert during the ferry flight to its new home at the Dryden Flight Research Center. NASA took possession of the new aircraft in November, 2006, and it arrived at DFRC at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on June 23, 2007.
NASA's Ikhana unmanned science demonstration aircraft prepares for landing as it arrives at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. NASA took possession of the new aircraft in November, 2006, and it arrived at its new home at NASA's Dryden Flight Reseach Center at Edwards AFB, on June 23, 2007.
NASA's Ikhana unmanned science demonstration aircraft in flight during the ferry flight to its new home at the Dryden Flight Research Center. NASA took possession of the new aircraft in November, 2006, and it arrived at the NASA center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on June 23, 2007.
After arriving via a ferry flight on June 23, 2007, NASA's Ikhana unmanned science demonstration aircraft is towed to a hangar at its new home, the Dryden Flight Research Center in Southern California.
NASA Dryden crew chief Joe Kinn gives final checks to NASA's Ikhana, a civil version of the Predator B unmanned aircraft, prior to a morning checkout flight.
NASA's Ikhana unmanned science aircraft ground control station includes consoles for two pilots and positions for scientists and engineers along the side.
NASA's Ikhana unmanned science demonstration aircraft over the U.S. Borax mine, Boron, California, near the Dryden/Edwards Air Force Base complex. NASA took possession of the new aircraft in November, 2006, and it arrived at the NASA center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on June 23, 2007.
Crew chief Joe Kinn gives NASA's Ikhana unmanned aircraft a final check during engine run-up prior to takeoff at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems' airfield.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Space Life Sciences Laboratory, or SLSL, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Dr. Matthew Mickens, a plant biologist from North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University in North Carolina, measures radish plants that were just harvested from a plant growth chamber. The plants were grown under red and blue LED lights. The plant experiment at Kennedy is part of the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. This plant experiment studies the effects of different types of lighting on plants such as radishes and leaf lettuce. Results of these studies will help provide information on how to grow food sources for deep space exploration missions. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Ochoa-Gonzales
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Space Life Sciences Laboratory, or SLSL, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, radish plants were harvested from a plant growth chamber. The plants were grown under red and blue LED lights. The plant experiment at Kennedy is part of the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. This plant experiment studies the effects of different types of lighting on plants such as radishes and leaf lettuce. Results of these studies will help provide information on how to grow food sources for deep space exploration missions. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Ochoa-Gonzales
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Space Life Sciences Laboratory, or SLSL, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, red leaf lettuce plants were harvested from a plant growth chamber. The plants were grown under red and blue LED lights. The plant experiment at Kennedy is part of the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. This plant experiment studies the effects of different types of lighting on plants such as radishes and leaf lettuce. Results of these studies will help provide information on how to grow food sources for deep space exploration missions. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Ochoa-Gonzales
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Space Life Sciences Laboratory, or SLSL, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Dr. Matthew Mickens, a plant biologist from North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University in North Carolina, measures radish plants that were just harvested from a plant growth chamber. The plants were grown under red and blue LED lights. The plant experiment at Kennedy is part of the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. This plant experiment studies the effects of different types of lighting on plants such as radishes and leaf lettuce. Results of these studies will help provide information on how to grow food sources for deep space exploration missions. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Ochoa-Gonzales
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Inside the Space Life Sciences Laboratory, or SLSL, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, radish plants are being harvested in a plant growth chamber. The plants were grown under red and blue LED lights. The plant experiment at Kennedy is part of the Advanced Exploration Systems, or AES, program in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. This plant experiment studies the effects of different types of lighting on plants such as radishes and leaf lettuce. Results of these studies will help provide information on how to grow food sources for deep space exploration missions. AES projects pioneer new approaches for rapidly developing prototype systems, demonstrating key capabilities and validating operational concepts for future human missions beyond Earth orbit. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Ochoa-Gonzales
The synthetic aperture radar pod developed by JPL is slung beneath NASA's Gulfstream-III research testbed during flight tests.
The UAVSAR underbelly pod is in clear view as NASA's Gulfstream-III research aircraft banks away over Edwards AFB during aerodynamic clearance flights.
The effect of the underbelly UAVSAR pod on the aerodynamics of NASA's Gulfstream-III research aircraft was evaluated during several check flights in early 2007.
An eight-foot-long pod designed to carry a synthetic aperture radar hangs from the underbelly of NASA's Gulfstream-III research testbed.
NASA's Gulfstream-III research testbed lifts off the Edwards AFB runway on an envelope-expansion flight test with the UAV synthetic aperture radar pod.
Shimmering heat waves trail behind NASA's Gulfstream-III research aircraft as it departs the Edwards AFB runway on a UAVSAR pod checkout test flight.
A forest of tufts are mounted on the underbelly and pylon of NASA's Gulfstream-III research aircraft to help engineers determine airflow around the UAVSAR pod.
A half-dozen test flights in early 2007 evaluated the aerodynamic effect of the UAVSAR pod on the performance of NASA's Gulfstream-III research testbed.
NASA's Gulfstream-III research testbed lifts off from Edwards AFB on a checkout test flight with the UAV synthetic aperture radar pod under its belly.
Lori Losey, an employee of Arcata Associates at Dryden, was honored with NASA's 2004 Videographer of the Year award for her work in two of the three categories in the NASA video competition, public affairs and documentation. In the public affairs category, Losey received a first-place citation for her footage of an Earth Science mission that was flown aboard NASA's DC-8 Flying Laboratory in South America last year. Her footage not only depicted the work of the scientists aboard the aircraft and on the ground, but she also obtained spectacular footage of flora and fauna in the mission's target area that helped communicate the environmental research goals of the project. Losey also took first place in the documentation category for her acquisition of technical videography of the X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle flight tests. The video, shot with a hand-held camera from the rear seat of a NASA F/A-18 mission support aircraft, demonstrated her capabilities in recording precise technical visual data in a very challenging airborne environment. The award was presented to Losey during a NASA reception at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas April 19. A three-judge panel evaluated entries for public affairs, documentation and production videography on professional excellence, technical quality, originality, creativity within restrictions of the project, and applicability to NASA and its mission. Entries consisted of a continuous video sequence or three views of the same subject for a maximum of three minutes duration. Linda Peters, Arcata Associates' Video Systems Supervisor at NASA Dryden, noted, "Lori is a talented videographer who has demonstrated extraordinary abilities with the many opportunities she has received in her career at NASA." Losey's award was the second major NASA video award won by members of the Dryden video team in two years. Steve Parcel took first place in the documentation category last year for his camera and editing