High Availability Unmanned Aerial Platform for Carbon Cycle Measurements

75853B Carbon cycle monitoring is a key component of the mission to understand global scale climate change. In particular, there is a need to accurately measure atmospheric carbon dioxide levels at regular intervals, and at various altitudes and locations, using low cost and simple aerial platforms. This project will create and demonstrate an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that will lift carbon monitoring payloads from the ground to an altitude of 10,000 feet. The high-availability UAV will be able to perform long endurance missions at low cost. Phase I developed a concept for operations and defined the fuctional and technical requirements for the UVA and supporting systems. Phase II will integrate the carbon dioxide and other sensors into the selected air vehicle platform. The air vehicle will be tested under human pilot control, radio control, and finally, fully autonomous mode flight. The performance of the instruments will be evaluated, and the efficiency of the measurements system will be validated. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The primary application of the UAV would be for stand-off monitoring of environmental parameters such as the atmospheric distribution of key gases, aerosols, radiation studies, global albedo, etc. In addition, the UAVs could be used for radiological, biological, and chemical threat monitoring for military and homeland security applications. Lastly, the UAVs could serve as communications nodes for emergency situations, and could be used to monitor wildfires, crops, weather, and traffic.