The recent losses of military unmanned aircraft over Iran and the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean call attention to the increased dependence by the United States on drone technology. While American drones are mostly used in covert strike missions and to spy on their own citizens, Costa Rica has learned to put drone technology to good use. The Center for the Investigation of Nuclear and Particle Science of the University of Costa Rica (UCR) is utilizing drone aircraft that will fly over volcanoes and other regions of the country in an effort to collect vital atmospheric data.

The Vector Wing 100 aircraft was proudly unveiled to the press in October. It is a drone specifically design to augment and improve the functions of weather satellites in space by flying right into smoke columns and plumes produced by volcanic activity.

The data collected by the Vector Wing 100 is extremely valuable to researchers; not only would they be able to predict catastrophic eruptions and make important decisions as to when to implement emergency measures, they could also prevent a situation similar to the one caused by the activity of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajoekull Volcano in 2010. Several airport closures were ordered across Europe as a preventive measure, although it was later determined that many of those closings were unnecessary. The Tico drone collects information that can help scientists determine the toxicity, intensity and direction of the smoke and ashes erupted.

Cheap Drones

UCR and the Ministry of Science and Technology provided the funding for the Vector Wing 100. The cost was about $40,000 for the drone and $20,000 for the optics, sensors and recorders. The equipment includes high-resolution digital cameras, a tiny custom-made spectrometer and a GPS device. The cost of the Tico drone and the valuable data it collects has attracted the attention of NASA. The American space agency spends millions of dollars in research aircraft that can be easily lost. Research team member Dr.Jorge Andrés Díaz explained that he sees Costa Rica becoming a hub for scientific drone manufacturing in the future.

Prior to the Vector Wing 100, Costa Rica had already experimented with the use of unmanned aircraft for scientific purposes such as the remote-controlled AscTec Pelican helicopter.

Ready for Action

The Vector Wing 100 has a lot of work to do. Costa Rica’s volcanoes have been acting up recently. The new Tico drone will be flying immediate missions over the Volcán Turrialba, and later over Rincón de la Vieja. The OVSICORI, Costa Rica’s volcanic research center, included the Guanacaste colossus in its watchlist in 2011. The tourist-friendly Volcán Poás in Alajuela was also a cause for concern in 2011: it became visibly incandescent in the daytime, a behavior not exhibited since the early 1980s.