Global Hawk

From NOAA Ocean Today:

Check out our latest video: Global Hawk: Eye in the Sky! 
For the last five years, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has teamed up with NASA to fly NASA’s Global Hawk unmanned aircraft to get an inside look at how hurricanes form and intensify over the Atlantic.

Global Hawk aircraft operate at altitudes of almost 20 kilometers (12 miles) above the ocean, and use multiple instruments to gather all sorts of weather and environmental data. They can operate for longer durations and reach farther areas than are possible for manned aircraft based in the U.S.

Watch it here: http://oceantoday.noaa.gov/globalhawk/