. Earth Science News .
SHAKE AND BLOW
NASA will fly drone for hurricane study

disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only
by Staff Writers
Washington (UPI) Aug 10, 2010
NASA scientists say an unmanned drone will help them discover the relationship between lightning and tropical storms to help in hurricane forecasting.

Any change in intensity in a tropical cyclone is often accompanied by increases in lightning strikes, but whether more lightning meant the storm was strengthening or weakening has long eluded researchers, SPACE.com reported Monday.

NASA says it plans to use a remotely piloted Global Hawk airplane -- the same drone model flown by the U.S. Air Force -- equipped with a Lightning Instrument Package to give an unprecedented, sustained look at the inner workings of hurricanes.

"The availability of the Global Hawk makes this a very exciting and unique experiment," NASA study team leader Ramesh Kakar said.

The drone, which can fly for up to 20 hours, will carry the LIP over the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean at an altitude of more than 60,000 feet for 40 days during August and September.

"We'll be able to see a storm in a way we've never seen it before," said LIP team leader Richard Blakeslee at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

"We'll see how the storm develops over the long term, and how lightning varies with all the other things going on inside a hurricane," he said.

"It's the difference between a single photograph and a full-length movie."



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


SHAKE AND BLOW
NASA's Hurricane Quest Set To Begin
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 10, 2010
In less than two weeks, NASA scientists will begin their quest for the holy grail of hurricane research. The exact conditions required to kickstart a tropical depression into a hurricane largely remain a mystery. Though scientists know many of the ingredients needed, it is unclear what processes ultimately drive depressions to form into the intense, spinning storms that lash the U.S. coast ... read more







SHAKE AND BLOW
Islamic charities versus the US in battle for Pakistan aid

UN to launch appeal as Pakistan flood disaster deepens

China gold mine fire kills 16 workers

Japanese rescue-bot can sniff out disaster survivors

SHAKE AND BLOW
Chinese 'peel' widget converts Apple Touch to phone: report

Better Displays Ahead

Nvidia chip team gets 25 million dollars from US military

Russia works with CIS to upgrade radar

SHAKE AND BLOW
First Satellite Measurement Of Water Volume In Amazon Floodplain

Ancient Blob-Like Creature Of The Deep

Obama to serve Gulf seafood at birthday bash: aide

Well kill doesn't mask grim reality for Gulf fishermen

SHAKE AND BLOW
Arctic ice island poses no immediate threat, says discoverer

'City-sized' ice island breaks off glacier

Ice drilling could foretell climate

Ice-Free Arctic Ocean May Not Be Of Much Use In Soaking Up Carbon Dioxide

SHAKE AND BLOW
Bread prices soar in drought-hit Russia

New Zealand dairy backs product in China hormone scandal

Global warming threatens Asian rice production: study

Putin scythes Russia harvest forecast

SHAKE AND BLOW
Pakistan issues fresh flood warning, calls for cash

Typhoon Dianmu kills five in S.Korea

NASA will fly drone for hurricane study

Rains threaten China mudslide disaster zone

SHAKE AND BLOW
Mugabe thanks China for steadfast support

Mugabe urges army to 'jealously guard' Zimbabwe's resources

Kagame set for landslide in Rwandan presidential vote

Blood diamonds, a warlord and a supermodel

SHAKE AND BLOW
The Worst Impact Of Climate Change May Be How Humanity Reacts To It

Stone tools used by earliest 'butchers'

Reading The Zip Codes Of 3,500-Year-Old Letters

Internet lifestyles leave digital estates for descendants


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement