Panama City, Florida (PRWEB) April 5, 2008 -- The U.S. space agency, NASA, has ordered a second MERLIN Avian Radar System (MERLIN ARS) for space shuttle launch support at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The space shuttle struck a Turkey vulture during the June 2005 launch which NASA concluded posed significant damage risk to future missions. In early 2006, NASA tested available avian radar technologies at the KSC and ordered a MERLIN system that was first used for the "Return to Flight" shuttle launch on July 4, 2006. The NASA MERLIN ARS has since been successfully used on eight space shuttle launches and, based on a record of exceptional performance and reliability, NASA ordered a second MERLIN ARS for expanded coverage and system backup.
The NASA MERLIN ARS is based on DeTect's MERLIN Aircraft Birdstrike Avoidance Radar system and incorporates specialized features including custom risk-based displays, high speed sector scanning, and secondary radiation shielding (electronic and passive). During the space shuttle launch, the MERLIN system data is remotely viewed and the system controlled by NASA personnel from the Launch Control Center located two miles from the launch pad. MERLIN is the most advanced and proven system for detection, tracking and alerting of hazardous bird activity at military airfields, commercial airports, spaceports and industrial sites with over 40 MERLIN Avian Radar Systems currently operating worldwide.
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