Document Type

Conference Paper

Publication Date

2026

DOI

10.2514/6.2026-111409

Publication Title

AIAA 2026 Regional Student Conferences

Pages

AIAA 2026-111409 (8 pp.)

Conference Name

AIAA 2026 Regional Student Conferences, April 12-13, 2026, College Park, Maryland

Abstract

This research examines the implementation of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) during a pilot mission in Nike Park to support its aerospace preservation. Located in Carrollton, Virginia, it was a Cold War missile installation that formed part of the area’s air-defense network. This project aims to use a drone to capture high-resolution video and imagery of Nike Park’s Administrative Office Supply and PX building and the Nike Ajax missile to create virtual 3D models for the Isle of Wight County Museum’s exhibit. For this mission, the DJI Mini 4 Pro drone manually flew a circular flight pattern around the missile and building, and a back-and-forth (lawnmower) pattern around the missile at various oblique angles. Both patterns were processed and compared with SkyBrowse. Model results indicate that the circular flight pattern provided greater overall coverage, capturing both the missile and the surrounding scene and a fairly detailed 3D reconstruction of the building and its surroundings; however, rendering inconsistencies occurred when the view was zoomed out. Using the missile's back-and-forth flight patterns, the 3D model captured more surface detail; however, the reconstruction was incomplete by one tail fin. Overall, the circular flight path provided improved coverage but also produced redundant imagery. Future work includes mapping an autonomous circular flight path to simplify the process while improving consistency and accuracy. Drones have significant potential for aerospace preservation and archaeology, particularly in interpretation, preservation, and education. This software can be adopted to show the public detailed, interactive models to aid in the understanding of history and explore potential solutions for preservation.

Rights

Copyright © 2026 by the author.

Included with the kind written permission of the copyright holder.

Original Publication Citation

Morgan, D. G., & Allen, T. R. (2026). Exploring drone technology for the survey and documentation of aerospace archaeology sites. In AIAA 2026 Regional Student Conferences (Article AIAA 2026-111409). American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2026-111409

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