Flying Unmanned Aircraft: A Pilot's Perspective

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is pioneering various Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) technologies and procedures which may enable routine access to the National Airspace System (NAS), with an aim for Next Gen NAS. These tools will aid in the development of technologies and integrated capabilities that will enable high value missions for science, security, and defense, and open the door to low-cost, extreme-duration, stratospheric flight. A century of aviation evolution has resulted in accepted standards and best practices in the design of human-machine interfaces, the displays and controls of which serve to optimize safe and efficient flight operations and situational awareness. The current proliferation of non-standard, aircraft-specific flight crew interfaces in UAS, coupled with the inherent limitations of operating UAS without in-situ sensory input and feedback (aural, visual, and vestibular cues), has increased the risk of mishaps associated with the design of the "cockpit." The examples of current non- or sub- standard design features range from "annoying" and "inefficient", to those that are difficult to manipulate or interpret in a timely manner, as well as to those that are "burdensome" and "unsafe." A concerted effort is required to establish best practices and standards for the human-machine interfaces, for the pilot as well as the air traffic controller. In addition, roles, responsibilities, knowledge, and skill sets are subject to redefining the terms, "pilot" and "air traffic controller", with respect to operating UAS, especially in the Next-Gen NAS. The knowledge, skill sets, training, and qualification standards for UAS operations must be established, and reflect the aircraft-specific human-machine interfaces and control methods. NASA s recent experiences flying its MQ-9 Ikhana in the NAS for extended duration, has enabled both NASA and the FAA to realize the full potential for UAS, as well as understand the implications of current limitations. Ikhana is a Predator-B/Reaper UAS, built by General Atomics, Aeronautical Systems, Inc., and modified for research. Since 2007, the aircraft has been flown seasonally with a wing-mounted pod containing an infrared scanner, utilized to provide real-time wildfire geo-location data to various fire-fighting agencies in the western U.S. The multi-agency effort included an extensive process to obtain flight clearance from the FAA to operate under special provisions, given that UAS in general do not fully comply with current airspace regulations (e.g. sense-and-avoid requirements)

Paper Session II-B - The Department of Defense Space Test Program

The Department of Defense (DOD) Space Test Program (STP), a tri-service activity under the executive management of the Air Force, is chartered and funded to provide spaceflight opportunities for DOD research experiments and agencies that are not authorized their own means of spaceflight. In its 25 years of existence, the program has flown over 170 experiments on over 50 missions. Experiment sponsors include the Navy, Army, Air Force, DARPA, DNA, NSA, NASA, and other government agencies. In the mid 1960s, high level management in the DOD recognized the need for an on-orbit research and test capability for the timely, cost effective development of technology. At that time, basic research of the space environment was being pursued by the Air Force Office of Aerospace Research (OAR), although spaceflight support, (selecting high-quality payloads and providing prompt spaceflights), to developmental and proof-of-concept payloads were not available. It was recognized that this capability had to be a low cost, rapidly responsive, and flexible program

Flying NASA Unmanned Aircraft: A Pilot's Perspective

Conference presentation sharing aspects of basic human factors engineering applied to aviation and unmanned aircraft systems from the pilot's perspectiv

Unmanned Aircraft: A Pilot's Perspective

This slide presentation reviews some of the challenges of "piloting" a unmanned aircraft. The topic include the pilot-vehicle interact design, the concept of pilot/operator, and role of NASA's Ikhana UAS in the western states fire mission

NASA Ikhana Project Status: FAA Pilot Training and ABS-B Flight Tests

This is an overview of the Ikhana Project Status to include MQ-9 Ikhana Pilot training provided to the FAA Aviation Safety Inspector pilots, MQ-9 Ikhana ADS-B Flight test results

Non-uniform relationship between salt status and aldosterone activity in patients with chronic kidney disease

Background: Hypertension is prevalent in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Studies suggest that reduction in dietary salt intake reduces blood pressure (BP). We studied relationships between salt intake, BP and renin angiotensin system regulation in order to establish if it is disordered in CKD. Methods: Mechanistic crossover study of CKD patients versus non-CKD controls. Participants underwent modified saline suppression test prior to randomisation to either low or high salt diet for 5 days and then crossed over to the alternate diet. Angiotensin-II stimulation testing was performed in both salt states. BP, urea and electrolytes, and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) were measured. Results: Twenty-seven subjects were recruited (12 CKD, 15 control). There was no difference in age and baseline BP between the groups. Following administration of intravenous saline, systolic BP increased in CKD but not controls (131 ± 16 mmHg to 139 ± 14 mmHg, p=0.016, vs. 125 ± 20 mmHg to 128 ± 22 mmHg, p=0.38). Median PAC reduced from 184 (124,340) pmol/L to 95 (80,167) pmol in controls (p=0.003), but failed to suppress in CKD (230 (137,334) pmol to 222 (147,326) pmol (p=0.17)). Following dietary salt modification there was no change in BP in either group. Median PAC was lower following high salt compared to low salt diet in CKD and controls. There was a comparable increase in systolic BP in response to angiotensin-II in both groups. Discussion: We demonstrate dysregulation of aldosterone in CKD in response to salt loading with intravenous saline, but not to dietary salt modification

Mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

The genetic make-up of an individual contributes to the susceptibility and response to viral infection. Although environmental, clinical and social factors have a role in the chance of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and the severity of COVID-191,2, host genetics may also be important. Identifying host-specific genetic factors may reveal biological mechanisms of therapeutic relevance and clarify causal relationships of modifiable environmental risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and outcomes. We formed a global network of researchers to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity. Here we describe the results of three genome-wide association meta-analyses that consist of up to 49,562 patients with COVID-19 from 46 studies across 19 countries. We report 13 genome-wide significant loci that are associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection or severe manifestations of COVID-19. Several of these loci correspond to previously documented associations to lung or autoimmune and inflammatory diseases3–7. They also represent potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection. Mendelian randomization analyses support a causal role for smoking and body-mass index for severe COVID-19 although not for type II diabetes. The identification of novel host genetic factors associated with COVID-19 was made possible by the community of human genetics researchers coming together to prioritize the sharing of data, results, resources and analytical frameworks. This working model of international collaboration underscores what is possible for future genetic discoveries in emerging pandemics, or indeed for any complex human disease