New unmanned aircraft tested

PALMDALE, Calif., April 21 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have tested a remotely operated aircraft that can stay aloft for long periods to monitor weather or climate data.

Scientists working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Altair, an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, is intended to fill gaps in critical research areas -- such as weather and water, climate and ecosystem monitoring and management -- that cannot be accomplished by satellites or ground-based instruments.

"UAVs have the potential to allow us to see weather before it happens, detect toxins before we breathe them, and discover harmful and costly algal blooms before the fish do, said Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., NOAA's administrator.

UAVs have been called the best choice for dirty, dull and dangerous missions: dirty because they can be sent to contaminated areas; dull because they can conduct long-term flights, and dangerous because they can go into hazardous areas without endangering human life.

NASA, partnered with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, built Altair, which can carry an internal 660-pound payload of sensors and other scientific equipment to 52,000 feet for more than 30 hours.