Pathfinder-Plus Coffee Harvest Demo - Hawaii

NASA Coffee Harvest Demo Validates Practicality of UAVs

In this 53 second video, NASA's solar-powered Pathfinder-Plus flying wing again proved its value as an airborne platform for remote sensing and imaging when it flew a demonstration mission over the Kauai Coffee Co. plantations in Hawaii in September 2002.

Sensitive infrared and visible light cameras mounted in small pods underneath the craft's center wing recorded crisp digital images of the ripening coffee fields from the aircraft flying four miles above, and immediately relayed that imagery to the ground. Based upon that imagery, plantation managers were able to determine which fields were most appropriate for harvest.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• nasa
• dryden
• pathfinde
• test
• solar
• powered
• UAV

[jetpoweredgriffin]

Thanks for posting!

people should not knock what they do not know-

but it seems that the arrogance of ignorance is a runaway train these days...

[KeenCapt]

@noob2top3210 Really? It was an amazing aircraft. I was very fortunate to be on the team. Built in 1981 when light-wight composits were new and solar power cells were just getting light enough.  Made it to 80Kft. Should do more research before you bash something. Also haning in the Smithsonian with the Concorde and the Shuttle Enterprise.

[noob2top3210]

Useless piece of crap. WTF is that supose to do