Houston to help probe severe storms with unmanned aircraft

Adam Houston’s spring research project reads like the plot of a Hollywood summer blockbuster.

A meteorologist and assistant professor in geosciences, Houston is leading a team of researchers bent on flying unmanned aircraft into the airflow that feeds severe storms – specifically flows which form tornadoes. Houston’s group is part of VORTEX2, a multi-pronged research project aimed at exploring the origins, structure and evolution of tornadoes. Data collected in the two-year, National Science Foundation-funded project will be used to help increase the accuracy of tornado forecasts and warnings.

Houston’s approach is novel and spurred by his doctoral thesis.

Severe storm researchers have used balloons to collect data in specific areas of storms, and aircraft have been used to probe storms from the upper levels of the atmosphere. However, Houston said his team will be the first to use unmanned aircraft to take real-time and directed measurements in the lower levels of the atmosphere, from 500 to 3,000 feet off the ground.

“This is something that has never been done before,” said Houston. “There are two main reasons for that. First, flying at low levels is very difficult and hazardous. And, second, when you are flying low over land and crash, there is a greater chance of causing damage to someone.”

VORTEX PRESENTATION – Adam Houston, assistant professor of geosciences, discusses how his research group plans to fly unmanned aircraft to gather storm data. Houston made the presentation during the April 4 WeatherFest event in Hardin Hall. Photo by Troy Fedderson/University Communications.

The concept grew from Houston’s doctoral thesis. He was studying how air mass boundaries (cold and warm fronts) impact the formation of thunderstorms. Houston found that most of the data available was taken from the ground.

“I found that the data was lacking on what is going on above the ground as these frontal boundaries collide and form storms,” said Houston. “That was my motivation.”

The VORTEX2 team will deploy into tornado alley from May 11 to June 13. To mitigate the chance for damage by the unmanned aircraft, Houston’s team will operate in a smaller area, stretching from northeast Colorado and southeast Wyoming to southwest Nebraska and northwest Kansas.

The group has obtained permission by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate in the area.

The aircraft being used is a Tempest. The remote controlled, shoulder-launched aircraft has a wingspan of 10 feet, weighs in at 20 pounds with storm data collectors in place, has a maximum speed of 100 miles per hour, and (with fully charged batteries) can fly for up to one hour.

The aircraft has been developed with the assistance of the Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles at the University of Colorado – a collaborator on Houston’s project. Preliminary testing was completed through CoCoNUE, the Collaborative Colorado-Nebraska Unmanned Aircraft System Experiment, another NSF-funded project.

“We’ve worked together to build an aircraft that is quick and easy to deploy,” said Houston. “What we’ve come up with is ideal for this project.”

A pilot must always be ready to take control of the plane, but Houston plans to operate the aircraft mostly on autopilot, directed by GPS points that can be changed while in flight. The Tempest can also be electronically tethered to follow a tracking vehicle on the ground.

Houston’s portion of VORTEX2 will include three vehicles – a base station for controlling the Tempest and two tracking vehicles. Houston will direct the team, deciding where to deploy the Tempest and what path it should follow. The Tempest pilot will also help make decisions on where the plane can safely operate.

While the project reads like a Hollywood script, the team plans to steer clear of epic confrontations and explosions.

“We plan to fly around the storm taking measurements, not directly into a tornado or super cell,” said Houston. “While this is a great aircraft for our needs, it’s not built to stand up to a severe storm. We cannot operate in heavy rain because, according to FAA regulations, we must keep the plane in sight at all times. Hail and strong winds could very possibly destroy it.

“The aircraft are fairly expensive and we don’t want to just throw one away.”

In the first season, Houston’s team hopes to show that unmanned aircraft can be used to collect severe storm data. Any data successfully collected by the unmanned aircraft team will be used to answer two questions – what is the “just right” rear flank downdraft for tornado formation, and how do air mass boundaries intensify super cells and tornadoes.

If the project is successful, Houston hopes to expand the flight area for the 2010 storm season. His ultimate goal – currently blocked by FAA regulations – is to operate multiple unmanned aircraft taking measurements at the same time in the same air mass.

“Can you imagine a phalanx of unmanned aircraft operating at different levels in the atmosphere, relaying real time data as a severe storm or tornado forms,” said Houston. “That is my ultimate goal. To get a complete picture of just what is going on as these systems form.”

Adam Houston’s spring research project reads like the plot of a Hollywood summer blockbuster.

A meteorologist and assistant professor in geosciences, Houston is leading a team of researchers bent on flying unmanned aircraft into the airflow that feeds severe storms – specifically flows which form tornadoes. Houston’s group is part of VORTEX2, a multi-pronged research project aimed at exploring the origins, structure and evolution of tornadoes. Data collected in the two-year, National Science Foundation-funded project will be used to help increase the accuracy of tornado forecasts and warnings.

Houston’s approach is novel and spurred by his doctoral thesis.

Severe storm researchers have used balloons to collect data in specific areas of storms, and aircraft have been used to probe storms from the upper levels of the atmosphere. However, Houston said his team will be the first to use unmanned aircraft to take real-time and directed measurements in the lower levels of the atmosphere, from 500 to 3,000 feet off the ground.

“This is something that has never been done before,” said Houston. “There are two main reasons for that. First, flying at low levels is very difficult and hazardous. And, second, when you are flying low over land and crash, there is a greater chance of causing damage to someone.”

The concept grew from Houston’s doctoral thesis. He was studying how air mass boundaries (cold and warm fronts) impact the formation of thunderstorms. Houston found that most of the data available was taken from the ground.

“I found that the data was lacking on what is going on above the ground as these frontal boundaries collide and form storms,” said Houston. “That was my motivation.”

The VORTEX2 team will deploy into tornado alley from May 11 to June 13. To mitigate the chance for damage by the unmanned aircraft, Houston’s team will operate in a smaller area, stretching from northeast Colorado and southeast Wyoming to southwest Nebraska and northwest Kansas.

The group has obtained permission by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate in the area.

The aircraft being used is a Tempest. The remote controlled, shoulder-launched aircraft has a wingspan of 10 feet, weighs in at 20 pounds with storm data collectors in place, has a maximum speed of 100 miles per hour, and (with fully charged batteries) can fly for up to one hour.

The aircraft has been developed with the assistance of the Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles at the University of Colorado – a collaborator on Houston’s project. Preliminary testing was completed through CoCoNUE, the Collaborative Colorado-Nebraska Unmanned Aircraft System Experiment, another NSF-funded project.

“We’ve worked together to build an aircraft that is quick and easy to deploy,” said Houston. “What we’ve come up with is ideal for this project.”

A pilot must always be ready to take control of the plane, but Houston plans to operate the aircraft mostly on autopilot, directed by GPS points that can be changed while in flight. The Tempest can also be electronically tethered to follow a tracking vehicle on the ground.

Houston’s portion of VORTEX2 will include three vehicles – a base station for controlling the Tempest and two tracking vehicles. Houston will direct the team, deciding where to deploy the Tempest and what path it should follow. The Tempest pilot will also help make decisions on where the plane can safely operate.

While the project reads like a Hollywood script, the team plans to steer clear of epic confrontations and explosions.

“We plan to fly around the storm taking measurements, not directly into a tornado or super cell,” said Houston. “While this is a great aircraft for our needs, it’s not built to stand up to a severe storm. We cannot operate in heavy rain because, according to FAA regulations, we must keep the plane in sight at all times. Hail and strong winds could very possibly destroy it.

“The aircraft are fairly expensive and we don’t want to just throw one away.”

In the first season, Houston’s team hopes to show that unmanned aircraft can be used to collect severe storm data. Any data successfully collected by the unmanned aircraft team will be used to answer two questions – what is the “just right” rear flank downdraft for tornado formation, and how do air mass boundaries intensify super cells and tornadoes.

If the project is successful, Houston hopes to expand the flight area for the 2010 storm season. His ultimate goal – currently blocked by FAA regulations – is to operate multiple unmanned aircraft taking measurements at the same time in the same air mass.

“Can you imagine a phalanx of unmanned aircraft operating at different levels in the atmosphere, relaying real time data as a severe storm or tornado forms,” said Houston. “That is my ultimate goal. To get a complete picture of just what is going on as these systems form.”

– Story by Troy Fedderson, University Communications

VORTEX2 Unmanned Aircraft Collaborators

Individuals and organizations assisting Adam Houston with the unmanned aircraft portion of the VORTEX2 project include:

UNL
Jamie Lahowetz, grad student
Anthony Reinhart, grad student

University of Oklahoma
Jerry Straka
Katherine Kanak

Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles at University of Colorado
Brian Argrow
Eric Frew
Jack Eleston

Rasmussen Systems
Erik Rasmussen



Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment 2 (www.vortex2.org)