Altair unmanned aircraft system - preflight tests

A NOAA researcher conducts preflight tests before flying the Altair unmanned aircraft system. NOAA has plans for several additional unmanned aerial systems (UAS) missions in the near future, including the use of UAS to expand its aerosol sampling capabilities from sea and during NOAA's Safe Seas emergency response drill in California. Technologies such as these will be instrumental in helping NOAA understand climate in the future.