NASA Global Hawk first flight on 17 September

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/09/11/332237/nasa-global-hawk-first-flight-on-17-september.html

 

A prototype for future PC-based unmanned air vehicle ground control stations developed for NASA's two Northrop Grumman Global Hawks is also a cause for the five-month delay of the UAV's first flight.

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Developed by Northrop, the PC-based station uses internet protocols to enable a more open architecture for the integration of the science payloads NASA wants. Stations will be based at NASA's Global Hawk Operational Center where pilots and scientists sit together to operate the UAVs. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration pilot advised Northrop on the station's development.