Photos: Altair for mapping fires

The unmanned Altair aircraft built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems will be used in the NASA and U.S. Forest Service's joint mission to test a new wildfire mapping and imagery system. The plane is equipped with NASA's image-sensing system, the AMS (Autonomous Modular System)-Wildfire.

As with the NASA/NOAA mission in the spring of 2005 (pictured), a General Atomics pilot will operate the Altair aircraft's flight and navigation remotely via satellite.