14 DAY TRIAL // From the lowest layers of the atmosphere to the upper stratosphere, the Atmospheric Science Through Robotic Aircraft (ASTRA) initiative is promising to bring scientists closer to their areas of interest.
The collaboration is seeking to improve upon existing technologies, and also to create new ones. The main areas of interest include aircraft design, flight physics and software systems engineering.
Innovations in this field will enable the study of various characteristics of the planetary atmosphere, arguably one of the most important factors that allowed for the development of life on Earth.
The physical parameters of the atmosphere are of great interest for scientists, because they can provide clues as to the processes and phenomena controlling Earth's climate, weather and evolution.
However, conducting studies at certain heights is very difficult. These altitudes span between the upper stratosphere and low-Earth orbit (LEO), and very few aircraft/spacecraft can venture in this region.
ASTRA experts are therefore developing and testing flight platforms that could become capable of taking scientific equipment at altitudes ranging from hundreds of meters to 50 kilometers.
According to the team, the future of such flights lies with fleets of light, unmanned aircraft (UAV), machines capable of flying and conducting experiments automatically. Returning home on its own is also something scientists want the new UAV to be capable of doing.
ASTRA is taking a multi-disciplinary approach to solving all the planning, designing and engineering challenges that stem from its planned flight systems. The aircraft experts will create need to be able to operate in the harsh, low-pressure, low-density environment of the upper stratosphere.
Novel manufacturing technologies are also needed, the team says, because weight and costs need to be minimized by as much as possible. In other words, the new UAV will have to be highly efficient and cheap, SpaceRef reports.
Another area researchers need to work hard in is the careful design of trajectories and flight control algorithms that will control the new unmanned aerial vehicles. ASTRA experts say that this will be hardest to do on unpowered gliders, that will be released in the atmosphere by other aircraft.
The project is managed by experts at the University of Southampton, in the United Kingdom. A couple of test flights have already been carried out, and experts are hard at work for improving aircraft parameters for upcoming missions.