Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) Demolition

The drone follows an autonomously defined path around the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron.  The drone photographs the aircraft with a visible and infrared camera which are processed using a photogrammetry software package called Pix4D that converts them into a 3D model.  Scanning the aircraft is the first phase of documenting the aircraft demolition as well as an opportunity to train pilots to operate the Pix4D software.

The drone follows an autonomously defined path around the modified C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, (KAO) (NASA-714), on the N211 apron. The drone photographs the aircraft with a visible and infrared camera which are processed using a photogrammetry software package called Pix4D that converts them into a 3D model. Scanning the aircraft is the first phase of documenting the aircraft demolition as well as an opportunity to train pilots to operate the Pix4D software.