Hot summer days in Southern California’s Antelope Valley force many aircraft operations to start early in the morning before the sun rises. On a back ramp at Armstrong Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, a NASA Global Hawk goes through testing of its communication components and satellite connection links for the International Maritime Satellite Terminal, or Inmarsat, in preparation for flight.
With temperatures reaching over 100 degrees, the Global Hawk team arrives at the center by 4 a.m. while electronic components, which are cooled by fuel on board, can function within temperature limitations. Testing usually ceases by 1 p.m. PDT as fuel and on board computers become too hot to operate. Read More