Drone Glider Tests When It's Safe to Fly by a Volcano

To keep planes in the air after a volcano erupts, researchers are trying to map airspace ash with fleets of autonomous gliders that collect and geotag samples.
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Cristiano Rinaldi

Near an erupting volcano is nowhere you want to be: molten lava, air dense with asphyxiating ash. Up in the air, tiny shards of the airborne glass can wreak havoc on planes, melting inside jet engines and blocking fuel nozzles. After an eruption, airlines sometimes call off flights because radar and satellites can't always predict where particles might do the most damage. So researchers are trying a new way to map airspace ash: fleets of autonomous gliders that collect and geotag samples.

After hitching a ride on a plane, the NavSonde drone gets the heave-ho, releasing its retractable, servo-driven wings and rudder. As it floats through volcanic particles, the ash collector opens and closes at precise points so researchers know where each sample originated. And once the glider belly-flops to the ground, scientists can analyze its contents for density and ash type, learning exactly where it's safe to fly. Eventually, the NavSonde will collect all kinds of airborne troublemakers from dust storms, plumes of pollution, and even burning forests—gliding into the line of fire so we don't have to.