2008 Annual Report - NASA Airborne Science Program

Global
Hawk
NASA is establishing a
significant enhancement to
its current suite of airborne
capabilities by acquiring the
high-altitude, long duration
Global Hawk unmanned aerial system. The
two NASA Global Hawk aircraft (871 &
872) were manufactured under the original
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA) Advanced Concept Technology
Demonstration (ACTD) Program, and are
based at the Dryden Flight Research Center.
Global Hawk vehicle 871 was the first Global
Hawk aircraft ever manufactured, and is a
well-proven air vehicle that has flown more
than 500 hours, including flights to and from
Europe. Global Hawk 872 was the sixth air
vehicle manufactured and has flown less than
200 hours. During 2008, a phase inspection
was completed on vehicle 872, and was
begun on vehicle 871.
The Global Hawk system is the only available
UAS with performance specifications suitable
to meet certain high altitude, long endurance
science payload objectives. It has already
demonstrated an endurance of more than 31
hours, with the capability to take more than
1500 lb (680 kg) of payload to an altitude of
65,000 ft (20 km) while cruising at 350 knots.
As such, it represents a major step forward
in platform capabilities available for scientific
research. The Global Hawk air vehicle has
numerous existing payload compartments
and the potential for adding wing pods. The
vehicle has the capacity to provide science
payloads with substantial margins for payload
mass, volume, and power in these payload
spaces.
In April 2008, NASA Dryden and Northrop
Grumman Corporation (NGC) established
a five year partnership for the stand-up and
operation of the NASA Global Hawk system.
NGC is providing technical, engineering,
maintenance, operations support and the
command and control portion of the ground
control station. NASA Dryden is providing
the facilities for aircraft maintenance and
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