Proteus in flight

The Scaled Composites Model 281 Proteus is a tandem-wing high-endurance aircraft designed by Burt Rutan to investigate the use of aircraft as high altitude telecommunications relays. The Proteus is actually a multimission vehicle, able to carry various payloads on a ventral pylon. An extremely high-efficiency design, the Proteus can orbit a point at over 65,000 feet (19,800 m) for more than 18 hours. It is currently owned by Northrop Grumman. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (3000x2398, 5560 KB) Scaled Composites unique tandem-wing Proteus was the testbed for a series of UAV collision-avoidance flight demonstrations. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (3000x2398, 5560 KB) Scaled Composites unique tandem-wing Proteus was the testbed for a series of UAV collision-avoidance flight demonstrations. ... Scaled Composites (often abbreviated as Scaled) was founded in 1982 in Mojave, California by famous aircraft designer Burt Rutan out of what used to be the Rutan Aircraft Factory. ... A tandem wing aircraft usually involves two full-sized wings, both of which are full airfoils. ... An Airbus A380, currently the worlds largest airliner An aircraft is any vehicle or craft capable of atmospheric flight. ... Elbert Leander Burt Rutan (born June 17, 1943 in Estacada, Oregon) is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft. ... Telecommunication involves the transmission of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. ... The Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an aerospace and defense conglomerate that is the result of a 1994 merger between Northrop and Grumman. ...

Overview

Proteus has an all-composite airframe with graphite-epoxy sandwich construction. Its wingspan of 77 feet 7 inches is expandable to 92 feet with removable wingtips installed. Proteus is an "optionally piloted" aircraft ordinarily flown by two pilots in a pressurized cabin. However, it also has the capability to perform its missions semi-autonomously or flown remotely from the ground. Under NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) project, NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center assisted Scaled Composites in developing a sophisticated station-keeping autopilot system and a satellite communications (SATCOM)-based uplink-downlink data system for Proteus' performance and payload data. The Proteus wing was adapted for use on the Model 318 White Knight carrier aircraft, which is the launch system for Rutan's Tier One spacecraft and the DARPA X-37. For other uses, see NASA (disambiguation). ... Dryden Flight Research Centers fleet of aircraft in 1993. ... A simple detachable autopilot on a sailboat. ... A Laughing Gull on the beach in Atlantic City. ... SpaceShipOne and White Knight during a captive carry test flight The Scaled Composites Model 318 White Knight is a jet-powered carrier aircraft used to launch the SpaceShipOne experimental spacecraft. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Boeing X-37 is a demonstration spaceplane that is intended to test future launch technologies while in orbit and during atmospheric reentry. ...

Flight testing of the Proteus began with its first flight on July 26, 1998 at the Mojave Airport and continued through the end of 1999. In June, Proteus was deployed internationally for the first time, debuting at the Paris Air Show. It was flown non-stop from Bangor, Maine to Paris. During the week-long show, it flew each day, demonstrating its capabilities as a telecommunications platform. July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1998: Events Cirrus Aircraft successfully flight-tests the CAPS ballistic emergency aircraft parachute. ... The Mojave Spaceport, also known as the Mojave Airport and Civilian Flight Test Center, is the first facility to be licensed in the United States for horizontal launches of reusable spacecraft. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The Paris Air Show (Salon International de lAéronautique et de lEspace, Paris-Le Bourget) is an international trade fair for the aerospace business. ... This article is about the Maine, USA city of Bangor. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Region ÃŽle-de-France Department Paris (75) Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Mayor Bertrand Delanoë  (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land area¹ 86. ...

The Proteus is the current holder of a number of FAI world records for altitude (class: C1-e: landplanes 3,000-6,000kg, Group: 3, turbojet), set in cooperation with NASA Dryden [1]. The highest altitude achieved was 63,245 feet, in October, 2000. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) is a standard setting and record-keeping body for aeronautics and astronautics. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Proteus was included in the list of the "100 Best of the Century", Time Magazine, April 1999. (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...

Projects

Due to the multimission nature of the aircraft, it has been involved in a number of significant research projects and missions. Northrop Grumman actively markets the aircraft as a research platform, and has published a user's guide for planning proposed missions.[2]

Angel Technologies HALO

Proteus was originally conceived as a high-altitude, long operation (HALO) telecommunications platform. Proteus was to be the first of a series of aircraft built by Scaled Technology Works of Montrose, Colorado (a proposed spinoff of Scaled Composites which was later cancelled). The aircraft was intended to carry a 14-foot antenna, which was flight tested in the fall of 1999 and the summer of 2000, including the relay of a video conference while the aircraft orbited over Los Angeles. [3] The project failed to move forward, however, and the subsequent series aircraft were not built. Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

ARTIS camera

A small Airborne Real-Time Imaging System (ARTIS) camera, developed by HyperSpectral Sciences, Inc., under NASA's ERAST project, was demonstrated during the summer of 1999 when it took visual and near-infrared photos from Proteus while it was flying high over the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture 99 Airshow at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The images were displayed on a computer monitor at the show only moments after they were taken. 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Image of two girls in mid-infrared (thermal) light (false color) Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than that of visible light, but shorter than that of radio waves. ... The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. ... Aerobatic team performs at EAA AirVenture The Oshkosh Airshow (officially EAA AirVenture Oshkosh) is an annual gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. ... Location of Oshkosh, Wisconsin City hall Downtown Oshkosh at U.S. Route 45 Oshkosh Public Museum Mouth of the Fox River into Lake Winnebago. ...

NAST validation

Proteus' first science mission was to carry the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Airborne Sounder Testbed - Interferometer (NAST-I) instrument in March, 2000 during the Cloud-Intensive Operating Period over the Department of Enegy Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART) site. The flights, based out of Stillwell, Oklahoma, encompassed 30 flight hours over week and a half, characterizing cloud properties and validating the instrument. [4]

Then, in September and October 2000, during the Water-Vapor Intensive Operating Period, Proteus and NAST flew validation flights studying upper tropospheric water vapor and performing underflights of the Terra satellite.

ARM-FIRE AFWEX project

In November-December 2000, Proteus flew as part of the DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program and their water vapor experiments. Flights were essentially the same as was flown for the NAST Water-Vapor Intensive Operating Period validation flights. [5] The Department of Energys Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program uses state-of-the-art active and passive remote sensing instrumentation to study the fundamental physics related to interactions between clouds and radiative feedback processes in the atmosphere. ...

NASA TRACE-P

As part of the TRACE-P (Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific) mission, Proteus once again carried the NAST pod during March, 2001. The aircraft logged 126 flight hours, and was variously based out of Alaska, Hawaii and Japan, gathering data in coordination with other ground, balloon and satellite sensor packages over the North Pole in March, 2001.[6][7]

NASA CLAMS

Proteus took part in the NASA Chesapeake Lighthouse & Aircraft Measurements for Satellites (CLAMS) program in July and August 2001, flying out of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. The project used a number of different aircraft to develop methods of measuring ocean characteristics, and estimates of aerosols[8]. Wallops Flight Facility Coordinates: Latitude 37. ...

Airborne laser target

In February, 2002, Proteus carried a 30-foot long pod which served as a target for development of the Airborne Laser system. The pod housed an array of over 2000 small holes containing optical sensors to detect the laser system. Artist impression of two YAL-1As shooting down ballistic missiles ABL aircraft in flight The Airborne Laser (ABL) weapons system, designated YAL-1A, is a megawatt class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) primarily designed to shoot down theatre ballistic missiles (TBMs) similar to the Scud while in boost phase. ...

ERAST DSA system

In March 2002, NASA Dryden, in cooperation with New Mexico State University's Technical Analysis and Applications Center (TAAC), the FAA and several other entities, conducted flight demonstrations of an active detect, see and avoid (DSA) system for potential application to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) out of Las Cruces, New Mexico. This was a part of the NASA ERAST Project. Proteus was flown as a surrogate UAV controlled remotely from the ground, although safety pilots were aboard to handle takeoff and landing and any potential emergencies. Three other aircraft, ranging from general aviation aircraft to a NASA F/A-18, served as "cooperative" target aircraft with an operating transponder. In each of 18 different scenarios, a Goodrich Skywatch HP Traffic Advisory System (TAS) on the Proteus detected approaching air traffic on potential collision courses, including several scenarios with two aircraft approaching from different directions. The remote pilot then directed Proteus to turn, climb or descend as needed to avoid the potential threat. For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... New Mexico State University, or NMSU, is a land-grant university that has its main campus in Las Cruces, New Mexico. ... UAVs in a hangar An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a pilotless aircraft, controlled either remotely or flown autonomously, used for a number of missions, including reconnaissance and attack roles. ... Las Cruces is a city in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. ... The Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology, or ERAST project is a NASA initiative to develop new technologies for civil use of remotely operated unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). ... The F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather fighter and attack aircraft. ... Goodrich is the name of several places: In the United States: Goodrich, Michigan Goodrich, North Dakota Goodrich, Texas Goodrich, Wisconsin In the United Kingdom Goodrich, Herefordshire Goodrich may also refer to: The Goodrich Corporation - an American aerospace company, formerly known for tires and rubber Benjamin Goodrich - the founder of The...

In April 2003, a second series of flight demonstrations focusing on "non-cooperative" aircraft (those without operating transponders), was conducted in restricted airspace near Mojave, California., again using the Proteus as a surrogate UAV. Proteus was equipped with a small Amphitech OASys 35 GHz primary radar system to detect potential intruder aircraft on simulated collision courses. The radar data was telemetered directly to the ground station as well as via an Inmarsat satellite system installed on Proteus. A mix of seven intruder aircraft, ranging from a sailplane to a high-speed jet, flew 20 scenarios over a four-day period, one or two aircraft at a time. In each case, the radar picked up the intruding aircraft at ranges from 2.5 to 6.5 miles, depending on the intruder's radar signature. Proteus' remote pilot on the ground was able to direct Proteus to take evasive action if needed. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mojave is a town located in Kern County, California. ... Inmarsat plc is an international telecommunications company founded in 1979, originally as an intergovernmental organization. ... Gliders are un-powered heavier-than-air aircraft. ...

IHOP 2002

The International H2O Project (IHOP 2002) was a field experiment which took place over the Southern Great Plains of the United States from May 13 to June 25, 2002. The chief aim of IHOP 2002 was improved characterization of the four-dimensional (4-D) distribution of water vapor and its application to improving the understanding and prediction of convection. The NASA Holographic Airborne Rotating Lidar Instrument Experiment was flown as a part of this project. Flights were performed in coordination with Lockheed P-3 and DC-8 aircraft. [9][10]

NASA Crystal-FACE

In July, 2002, Proteus participated in Crystal-FACE, measuring tropical cirrus clouds, operating from Key West, Florida, flying as far south as Belize. For this phase of the project, the aircraft was configured with 10-foot canards and 13 1/2 foot wingtip extensions. [11][12] Aerial photo of Key West, looking north. ... In aeronautics, canard (French for duck) is a type of fixed-wing aircraft in which the tailplane is ahead of the main lifting surfaces, rather than behind them as in conventional aircraft, or when there is an additional small set of wings in front of the main lifting surface. ...

ARM-UAV

Proteus has been used in a number of deployments as a part of a project sponsored by the DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program and the Sandia National Laboratories to study cirrus clouds in the upper atmosphere[13]. During these flights, the aircraft was equipped with over 20 sensors mounted on five different parts of the aircraft. In November 2002, Proteus participated in another phase of the project, flying from Ponca City. In October, 2004, Proteus operated out of Fairbanks, Alaska[14], and in February, 2006, the aircraft was deployed to Darwin, Australia. The Department of Energys Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program uses state-of-the-art active and passive remote sensing instrumentation to study the fundamental physics related to interactions between clouds and radiative feedback processes in the atmosphere. ... It has been suggested that Sandia Base be merged into this article or section. ... Nickname: The Golden Heart City Location Coordinates , Government Country  State   Borough United States  Alaska   Fairbanks North Star Incorporated November 10, 1903 Mayor Steve M. Thompson Geographical characteristics Area     City 84. ... Central Darwin, circa 1986 Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory, and is a city of 109,419 people (2001 census) on Australias far north-western coastline. ...

t/Space trapeze

In May and June, 2005, Transformational Space Corp., or t/Space, flight tested their rocket release concept utilizing Scaled Composites' Proteus. A captive-carry test flight was performed on May 13, and the rocket mockup was dropped three times, on May 24, June 7 and June 14, over Edwards AFB. The mockup was a 23% scale model of a proposed 4-person crew capsule (called the CXV) and its AirLaunch LLC-produced QuickReach II booster.[15] These particular flight tests were to demonstrate the concept of t/Space's Trapeze/Lanyard (TLAD) air drop system. [16] Image from NASAs Vision for Space Exploration page, showing t/Spaces proposal for using cargo canisters as lunar habitats t/Space (or Transformational Space Corporation) is an American aerospace company which tried to compete for NASAs Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) contract. ... Edwards Air Force Base is a base located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County, California in the Antelope Valley, northeast of Lancaster. ...

Model 395 development

Northrop Grumman is using the Proteus to research new UAV technologies, as it can be controlled from the cockpit, a ground control station, or operate semi-autonomously. Scaled, in partnership with Northrop Grumman, is offering a fully unmanned version of the Proteus, labeled Model 395, as part of the competition for the USAF Hunter-Killer competition. If selected, that product would fly in 2007. UAVs in a hangar An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a pilotless aircraft, controlled either remotely or flown autonomously, used for a number of missions, including reconnaissance and attack roles. ... A cockpit was a pit used for cockfighting, where owners would pit fighting birds against each other for the purpose of gambling. ... External links Aviation Week & Space Technology article on USAF Hunter-Killer project. ... Aircraft of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing and coalition counterparts stationed together at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, in southwest Asia, fly over the desert. ... Categories: Aircraft stubs ... 2007 (MMVII) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On February 24, 2005, Proteus became Scaled's first bomber with the release of an inert 500-pound weapon over Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. ^[1] Map showing the locations of Nellis AFB and the NAFR Nellis Air Force Base (IATA: LSV, ICAO: KLSV) is a United States Air Force base, located in Clark County, Nevada, on the northeast side of Las Vegas. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Global Hawk radar

Proteus flies over the Tehachapi Mountains with the MP-RTIP radar pod

On April 27, 2006, Proteus flight tested a large pod designed house a developmental version of the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program, or MP-RTIP. This is a long range, high resolution air-to-ground and air-to-air synthetic aperture radar system being developed for use on the RQ-4 Global Hawk. This pod is, by function of its length and frontal area, one of the largest payloads carried by Proteus to date. Actual flight testing of the MP-RTIP system began in late September, 2006, with initial flight reaching 100 knots and 22,000 feet altitude.^[2] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2400x3000, 3891 KB) USAF public domain website, image from: http://www. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2400x3000, 3891 KB) USAF public domain website, image from: http://www. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The surface of Venus, as imaged by the Magellan probe using SAR Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a form of radar in which sophisticated post-processing of radar data is used to produce a very narrow effective beam. ... The Northrop Grumman (formerly Ryan Aeronautical) RQ-4 Global Hawk (known as Tier II+ during development) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used by the US Air Force as a surveillance aircraft. ...

Specifications (Proteus)

Download high resolution version (476x650, 59 KB)From [1]. File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

General characteristics

• Crew: two pilots
• Length: 56 ft 4 in (17.17 m)
• Wingspan: 77 ft 7 in (23.65 m)
• Height: 17 ft 7 in (5.36 m)
• Wing area (including canards): 487.7 ft² (45.31 m²)
• Empty: 5,900 lb (2,700 kg)
• Loaded: 12,500 lb (5,700 kg)
• Maximum takeoff: lb ( kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × Williams International FJ44-2, (2,300 lbf (10.2 kN) thrust each

Williams International is a manufacturer of small gas turbine engines. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Performance

• Maximum speed: 315 mph (507 km/h)
• Range: 480 miles (770 km)
• Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,300 m)
• Rate of climb: 6,000 ft/min (30 m/s)
• Wing loading: 26 lb/ft² (128 kg/m²)
• Thrust-to-Weight: 1.8 N/kg

Notes

References

• High-Speed Internet Access via Stratospheric HALO Aircraft
• Mission User's Guide
• Northrop Grumman Proteus marketing page
• "Northrop begins flight testing of new radar technology for Global Hawk", Aerotech News and Review, July 21, 2006.
• Angels, HALOs and Atmospheric Networks
• MP-RTIP description
• Project descriptions
• NASA Proteus fact sheet
• NAST field deployment summary
• This article contains material that originally came from a NASA website. According to their site usage guidelines, "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". For more information, please review NASA's use guidelines.

For other uses, see NASA (disambiguation). ... Copyright symbol Copyright is a set of exclusive rights regulating the use of a particular expression of an idea or information. ...

Related content

Related development: Scaled Composites Model 395 Scaled Composites Model 318 External links Aviation Week & Space Technology article on USAF Hunter-Killer project. ... SpaceShipOne and White Knight during a captive carry test flight The Scaled Composites Model 318 White Knight is a jet-powered carrier aircraft used to launch the SpaceShipOne experimental spacecraft. ...