WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Operating internationally over several countries this summer, NASA'S C-20A aircraft completed more than 150 hours of science flights across two months in support of Earth science research.
Based at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research in Edwards, California, the C-20A research aircraft has been modified to support the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar and SAR-fusion camera. The instruments collect data and images of Earth's surface for use in understanding global ecosystems, natural hazards, and land surface changes.
During its flight between May 20 and July 24, the research team crossed the Atlantic and deployed to several locations in Africa, as well as Germany, for two campaigns. They included the Africa Synthetic Aperture Radar (AfriSAR) mission, in collaboration with the European Space Agency, and the Germany Bistatic Experiment, in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center.
For the AfriSAR mission, researchers collected airborne data over African forests, savannas, and wetlands for use in studies of Earth's ecosystems. Datasets collected over Germany will be used to develop land surface height maps.
The flight team successfully achieved its missions despite several challenges, including mechanical and technical issues with the aircraft, NASA said in a press release.
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