NASA ERAST Program
NASA's ERAST program advanced high-altitude, long-duration UAVs for science missions.
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The Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) program was a NASA initiative to develop cost-effective, slow-flying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of performing long-duration science missions at altitudes above 60,000 feet. The program was notable for its public/private partnership structure, the ERAST Alliance, which brought together NASA, the Department of Defense, and several industry partners to advance aeronautical and sensor technologies for upper atmospheric science.
Quick Facts
- Program termination
- 2003
- Federal contribution
- $42.2 million
- Altitude target
- 60,000 to 100,000 ft / 30.5 km
- Program start
- 1994
- Managing center
- NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
Facts from the source article.
Background
The ERAST program was formally initiated in September 1994 as a high-profile item in NASA's agenda, born from earlier efforts including the Small High-Altitude Science Aircraft (SHASA) program and the Perseus UAV design by Aurora Flight Sciences. The program was organized as a public/private partnership under NASA's Joint Sponsored Research Program, with industry partners including Aurora Flight Sciences, AeroVironment, General Atomics, Scaled Composites, Thermo-Mechanical Systems, Hyperspectral Sciences, and Longitude 122 West. The ERAST Alliance used a Joint Sponsored Research Agreement (JSRA) based on NASA's Space Act Agreement Authority, which permitted flexible teaming, cost-sharing, and intellectual property sharing.
Key aircraft developed under ERAST included the AeroVironment Pathfinder, Centurion, and Helios solar- and fuel cell-powered UAVs; the General Atomics ALTUS II, a civilian variant of the MQ-1 Predator; and the Aurora Perseus and Theseus aircraft. The ALTUS II set a single-flight endurance record for remotely operated aircraft of more than 26 hours during an Atmospheric Radiation Measurement study in Oklahoma in October 1996. The program also focused on developing lightweight, microminiaturized sensors for environmental research and Earth monitoring.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is NASA's ERAST program?
ERAST stands for Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology, a NASA initiative launched in 1994 to build affordable, slow-flying drones capable of extended science missions high in the atmosphere. The effort was coordinated through a public-private coalition called the ERAST Alliance, which included the Department of Defense and several industry partners.
What altitude range did ERAST drones target?
The program aimed for sustained flight between 60,000 and 100,000 feet, placing the aircraft in the upper atmosphere where they could gather long-duration environmental and atmospheric data.
Which NASA center oversaw the ERAST program?
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center served as the managing center, coordinating aeronautical and sensor technology development across the ERAST Alliance partners.
How was the ERAST program funded?
NASA contributed roughly $42.2 million in federal funding, while the private sector added $30,000 in cash along with in-kind contributions from industry partners within the alliance.
When did the ERAST program end?
The ERAST program was terminated in 2003, after nearly a decade of development work that had begun in 1994.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: NASA ERAST Program (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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