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HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) - New technology developed at Langley Research Center is designed to help spot and extinguish fires before they get out of control.
On Monday, 10 On Your Side got a first-hand look at the drones that can detect danger. Not only can they help in the fight against fire, but they can help firefighters with budget concerns. NASA Aerospace Engineer Mike Logan said he's hoping the idea will really take off.
'The theory is that we should actually be able to see smoke rising up, or we should be able to see the hot spot with the infrared,' Logan said. 'They're going to be doing so many missions that flat out can't be done now. People can't afford to do them now because of the expense.'
Logan heads the unmanned air vehicle laboratory at NASA Langley. And the new 15 pounds of technology - an Army target drone turned fire spotter - represents what could be a part of their future success.
So far, they've been testing it at the military aviation museum in Pungo. Before the end of the year, they hope to be collecting data high above the Great Dismal Swamp, where the Fish and Wildlife Service has also given them permission to fly.
'What this does is allow us to see smoke plumes that are rising, and then this camera allows us to look at hot spots,' Logan said. 'In 2011, there was a major fire at the swamp, and it actually started, I think, the first week of August, and they didn't officially declare it out until the third week of November.'
Hurricane Irene even came through and didn't put it out.
Logan said manned aircraft, with a $1,500 to $2,500 bill per hour, are used for million-dollar firefights. Although NASA's unmanned drone would cost $5,000-$10,000 up front, it would eventually be as little as $50 per flight.
The drones do have limitations.
'This particular unit is limited to 20 to 25 minutes at roughly 40 to 50 mph,' Logan said.
They may not replace manned aircraft altogether, but if they can help find fires and prevent them from growing, Logan said they'll be well worth the work they're putting in right now.
Another possible advantage to the drones is that they'd be able to go up immediately after a storm, whereas aircraft may take a while to be able to get into the air. After the familiarization flights, engineers will do data flights to see how they can be the most efficient.
Entities 0 Name: Logan Count: 6 1 Name: NASA Count: 2 2 Name: HAMPTON Count: 1 3 Name: Mike Logan Count: 1 4 Name: Va. Count: 1 5 Name: Pungo Count: 1 6 Name: Army Count: 1 7 Name: Wildlife Service Count: 1 8 Name: NASA Langley Count: 1 9 Name: Langley Research Center Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1piKNVc Title: An Air Traffic Control System for Drones | MIT Technology Review Description: Drones at the San Francisco headquarters of Airware. The company will soon begin flying some of them on NASA bases in California as part of a project developing an air traffic control system for drones. How do you keep small drone aircraft safe in the world's busiest national airspace?
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