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The first S-3 Viking modified for research was delivered to the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, on 23 January after a two-year modification program in which Navy communication, navigation, and surveillance equipment was replaced or enhanced to provide increased compatibility with current and future air-space requirements. In addition to those modifications, research equipment racks were installed in what had been one of the S-3’s weapon bays. The revamped S-3, while capable of a variety of science missions, will begin its second life with icing research flights. Initial tests are expected to originate in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, where scientists will seek to characterize the icing conditions that exist in the tropical convective layer of the atmosphere.
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