The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA concluded a joint series of environmental science demonstration flights with the Altair unmanned aerial vehicle in mid-November. During a flight Nov. 16 over the Channel Islands off the Southern California coast, sensors on the aircraft gathered ocean color and atmospheric chemistry measurements and observed marine mammals and their environment. The flight also conducted low-tide coastal mapping and NOAA law enforcement surveillance of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. An earlier mission the same week saw the Altair collect data on atmospheric chemistry at various altitudes, measure ocean color and search for atmospheric rivers during an 18.5-hour long-endurance flight off the California coast and several hundred miles out to sea. NASA coordinated use of Altair with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and provided mission management expertise to NOAA.

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