UAS platforms are constantly evolving day to day, year to
year. The platform’s roles have gone from just hobby items to multimillion-dollar
industries. The demand for UAS platforms is growing as the technology for the
platforms improve. The Odysseus is a new fixed wing platform by the company
Aurora, a Boeing owned company. The Odysseus is unlike any other platform that
I have heard about before. Ill admit I had to reread the article a second time
because it seemed so unlikely that it could be real. Odysseus is a large fixed
wing platform that could fly indefinitely capable of months long missions. This
platform is solar powered and flies at very high altitudes. The UAS will charge
its solar panels during the day when it is flying and will retain enough power
from the sun to continue to fly during the night until the sun rises the next
day to recharge the UAS. There are many possible mission roles the Odysseus
could fill. Some of the mission roles that Aurora have listed for the platform
include communication, connectivity, and intelligence. However, the primary
role that the Odysseus will be filling and focusing on gathering data for
climate research. The Odysseus could be an instrumental tool in the global
community getting a better scientific understanding on our planet’s climate.
The Odysseus will be a much more cost effective, efficient, and fast tool at
the hands of our scientists rather than the current tool of satellites. This
UAS platform could mold the future of our planet’s climate for all of the
future generations to come. Reading articles like this make me very excited for
the future. I am in a new constantly evolving field and I can not wait to be
able to contribute to this field.
No comments:
Post a Comment