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NASA Drone's Sensors Battle California Wildfires

Posted by samzenpus on from the not-just-blowing-smoke dept.

An anonymous reader writes "California is burning, but according to this article advanced sensors on NASA's Ikhana unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can detect exact temperatures (within half a degree) through the smoke, enabling the drone to spot for the firefighters battling the more than 300 wildfires. NASA's Ikhana is the same aircraft as the Predator, except it's being used here to save lives."

11 of 58 comments (clear)

  1. Same as Predator by Mononoke · · Score: 5, Insightful

    NASA's Ikhana is the same aircraft as the Predator, except it's being used here to save lives."

    The Predator's primary function is to save lives.

    --
    NetInfo connection failed for server 127.0.0.1/local
    1. Re:Same as Predator by pete-classic · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I thought its primary function was to gather intelligence, which hopefully has the effect of saving American, allied, and non-combatant's lives. But it does that by letting us kill enemy combatants better, which seems different on its face from what this article talks about.

      -Peter

    2. Re:Same as Predator by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The Predator's primary function is to save lives.

      That may be the end result in both cases, but the primary function of Predator is intelligence gathering, and it can lob missiles too.

      And let's not kid ourselves. I think it was Norman Shwartzkopf that said the purpose of the military is to break things and kill people. Even if that is breaking things that would be used against others, and killing those that intend to do harm, it is still breaking & killing, and in the process, there is usually some "collateral damage" to those that had nothing to do with the conflict except to be on the receiving end of shrapnel.

    3. Re:Same as Predator by danlor · · Score: 1, Insightful

      All the things above are in preparation for killing people. Nothing our military does saves lives. That would be oxymoronic.

      This new duty on the other hand DOES SAVE LIVES.

    4. Re:Same as Predator by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      The Predator's primary function is to save lives.

      And "Peace is Our Profession."

    5. Re:Same as Predator by pete-classic · · Score: 2, Insightful

      the simple existence of the predator drone has the effect of denying the enemy or potential enemy freedom of movement, irrespective of the ability/willingness to harm. [. . .] unless some careless politician had subscribed to a "no first use" policy.

      You just made the same mistake as the careless politician. There must be at least a perceived ability/willingness to do harm. And let's face it, you give the other guy the idea that you're willing to harm him by harming his buddies first.

      -Peter

    6. Re:Same as Predator by waldo2020 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      tell it to the allied Canadian soldiers that keep getting bombed by yanks - friendly fire indeed!

    7. Re:Same as Predator by Nutria · · Score: 2, Insightful

      try imagining the Viet Nam war with predators roaming in the air equipped with that thermal camera.

      I'm pretty sure that the tri-layer canopy would have absorbed human body heat.

      --
      "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
  2. Re:not to be hatin but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    That may have been true in the past, but this has been understood for some time now, and modern fire management has been applied in recent years to let more acreage burn, even setting frequent intentional fires to try and implement controlled burns (though sometimes this can go horribly wrong, as in the Los Alamos conflagration a few years back).

    The real problem is that you have people planting houses in the middle of these areas, and there's a mission to save human life that you can't just write off. In some cases, you have to let structures be destroyed, because it's just too dangerous, but when practical the government would be negligent to not try and save what they can.

  3. If you're gonna be semantic pedants, do it right. by xalorous · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Purpose is a goal, aim, intention.

    Function is hat something does or is used for.

    So, the purpose is to carry out the function without risking human lives, on the ground or in the air.

    So the original statement is wrong too. It doesn't save lives so much as it allows recon, surveillance and targetting without risking lives.

    Therefore, the Predator is a weapon system which provides, at a relatively low cost, "Armed reconnaissance, airborne surveillance and target acquisition" with great reduction in risk to friendly soldiers and intelligence assets.

    Bottom line, the damn thing saves U.S. soldiers from bleeding. Sheesh.

    --
    TANSTAAFL GIGO Acronyms to live by!
  4. Re:NASA, NASA, NASA by GradiusCVK · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Slashdot... News for nerds, stuff that matters.
    I'd say that news about almost anything NASA does fits the bill pretty nicely. Better than slashvertisements and the other junk that occasionally pops up on here, at least.