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This NASA Dryden Flight Research Center DC-8 takes off from Patrick Air Force Base to pursue its goal of collecting high-altitude information about Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms. Flying at 35,000 to 40,000 feet, the plane is equipped with instruments to measure the storm’s structure, environment and changes in intensity and tracking. The DC-8 is part of the NASA-led Atmospheric Dynamics and Remote Sensing program that includes other government weather researchers and the university community in a study of Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms. The hurricane study, which lasts through September, is part of NASA’s Earth Science enterprise to better understand the total Earth system and the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment