NASA/Ames Research Center researchers are taking data from a remotely controlled airplane and delivering real-time infrared images of hot spots and flare-ups to fire commanders on the ground.

The $6 million Ikhana aircraft has an onboard sensor that can look through the smoke and detect temperatures ranging from one-half degree to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Ikhana sends images through a communications satellite to NASA/Ames, where the imagery is superimposed over Google Earth and Microsoft Virtual Earth maps.

The information is relayed to fire commanders on the ground, sometimes in as little as 10 minutes, helping them differentiate between the fire front and hot spots that may be burning outside their perimeters.