1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:18,500 [music] 2 00:00:19,420 --> 00:00:21,000 Go ahead and fire up the engines 3 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,460 then you can turn on the 4 00:00:23,460 --> 00:00:24,860 (unintelligible) lights on, 5 00:00:24,860 --> 00:00:26,860 pressure's good. 20 per cent 6 00:00:26,860 --> 00:00:28,860 (unintelligible) 7 00:00:28,860 --> 00:00:33,580 [music] 8 00:00:33,580 --> 00:00:42,000 [unintelligible cockpit and tower conversations] 9 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:44,000 Cleared for takeoff. 10 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:49,300 [music] 11 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:51,880 Takeoff at 21 41 12 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:54,540 [music] 13 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:57,940 We've got 14 miles 'til they start taking data. 14 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:00,340 We've come to the Gulf with this UAVSAR instrument 15 00:01:00,340 --> 00:01:02,200 so that we can try to image 16 00:01:02,210 --> 00:01:05,500 the oil spill and the effects on the coastline, 17 00:01:05,500 --> 00:01:08,200 the whole Gulf coastline. 18 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:12,980 We're trying to get what's called a baseline 19 00:01:12,980 --> 00:01:15,640 so we come and we image the area before 20 00:01:15,649 --> 00:01:17,900 most of the oil has hit 21 00:01:17,900 --> 00:01:19,580 and then we will come back later 22 00:01:19,580 --> 00:01:22,340 and image after the oil has hit. 23 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:28,380 This airplane has a precision path auto pilot 24 00:01:28,380 --> 00:01:29,619 that was built at Dryden. 25 00:01:30,580 --> 00:01:33,320 We interrupt the antenna signal to that 26 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:35,720 part of the autopilot and we send our 27 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:37,140 synthetic one there 28 00:01:37,620 --> 00:01:38,900 and that will steer the airplane 29 00:01:38,900 --> 00:01:39,979 down this line through 30 00:01:39,979 --> 00:01:42,280 space that the radar people 31 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:45,040 want to put the radar pod in the right place 32 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:50,940 [music] 33 00:01:51,500 --> 00:01:54,440 This one's called the UAVSAR radar. 34 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,860 It's an L band radar that means that it's got 35 00:01:56,860 --> 00:01:59,720 a wavelength radiation that's about 10 inches. 36 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:02,420 This is a long enough wavelength 37 00:02:02,420 --> 00:02:04,100 so that we can see through clouds. 38 00:02:04,100 --> 00:02:05,380 The other thing is that this is a 39 00:02:05,390 --> 00:02:08,880 polarametric radar so it transmits radiation 40 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:10,429 and two polarizations and will 41 00:02:10,429 --> 00:02:12,820 receive radiation and two polarizations 42 00:02:12,820 --> 00:02:15,319 and those two polarizations scatter 43 00:02:15,319 --> 00:02:17,720 differently from vegetation. from water 44 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:19,670 so we can use that to try to understand 45 00:02:19,670 --> 00:02:21,720 what's going on on the surface. 46 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:22,860 Looking at the difference 47 00:02:22,860 --> 00:02:24,740 between the different polarizations. 48 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,380 [music] 49 00:02:27,380 --> 00:02:28,960 We're gonna go to this point 50 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:30,500 then we're gonna go out here 51 00:02:30,500 --> 00:02:32,700 and then we're gonna do this line coming back. 52 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:35,620 that way we'll be looking South instead of North 53 00:02:35,740 --> 00:02:37,980 [unintelligible tranmissions] 54 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:40,740 Alright, looks good go ahead and release 55 00:02:41,460 --> 00:02:42,420 It's released 56 00:02:42,420 --> 00:02:44,100 Alright (unintelligible) I've got it 57 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:45,420 It's stanin' on pretty good at 58 00:02:45,420 --> 00:02:47,680 It's staying within about two feet right now 59 00:02:48,660 --> 00:02:49,760 on the lateral. 60 00:02:50,260 --> 00:02:52,600 I'm still working on the altitude. 61 00:02:52,860 --> 00:02:54,160 Alright Tim, looking pretty good in the tube here. 62 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:55,420 Twelve satellite 63 00:02:55,840 --> 00:03:02,840 [unintelligible transmissions] 64 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:04,440 Well established in the tube, 65 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:06,060 Let's move in about three feet 66 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:09,660 Kaplan, you're the onboard processor 67 00:03:09,660 --> 00:03:23,560 [music] 68 00:03:24,660 --> 00:03:27,740 We have images of the entire, almost 69 00:03:27,740 --> 00:03:30,319 the entire United States Gulf Coastline 70 00:03:30,319 --> 00:03:32,320 that we can then look for effects of oil 71 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:34,810 as this oil comes onshore.