Introduction to NASA AREN Kites Project

We fly ten-foot kites with instruments attached in order to collect data about the Earth and atmosphere (either a GoPro camera for aerial imaging or a Kestral data logger to get temperature, wind speed, etc. as the kite rises). Each time we fly, we simulate a NASA mission by outlining a mission objective, talking about safety and operational standards, assigning roles, completing the task, and debriefing on the mission.

Data

Example Missions

Mission #1

Research date:April 22, 2020

Location:Dyche Field, MSU, Bozeman

Coordinates: N 45.66236, W 111.04902

Link to aerial map

Mission objective:Collect atmospheric data with Kestral

Research questions:

  • How does wind speed and temperature change with kite altitude?
  • How much elevation gain is there from my house to the flying site (riding on my bike?)

Data collected: Excel spreadsheet

Video: Two short clips are available here: http://www.montana.edu/smrc/aren_data.html

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Mission #2

Research date:May 10, 2020

Location: Plains, MT

Data collected: Excel spreadsheet

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Mission #3

Research date:Aug. 14, 2020

Location: East Gallatin Recreation Area, Bozeman

Coordinates: N 45.7066,  W111.03552

Link to aerial map

Mission objective:Collect aerial imagery with Git2 camera

Research questions:

  • What can we see from the air?
  • From the photos, you can ask -- what time of day might it be? What is the land cover and land use?

Data:  Aerial images

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All three missions are also available to view in ArcGIS

Additional Resources

Articles, Readings, and Websites

Media