Editing NASA Pathfinder (section)

===Flight testing and records===
Major science activities of Pathfinder missions have included detection of forest nutrient status, forest regrowth after damage caused by [[Hurricane Iniki]] in 1992, sediment/algal concentrations in coastal waters and assessment of coral reef health. Science activities are coordinated by the NASA [[Ames Research Center]] and include researchers at the [[University of Hawaii]] and the [[University of California]]. Pathfinder flight tested two ERAST-developed scientific instruments, a high spectral resolution Digital Array Scanned Interferometer (DASI) and a high spatial resolution Airborne Real-Time Imaging System (ARTIS), both developed at Ames. These flights were conducted at altitudes between {{convert|22000|ft|m}} and {{convert|49000|ft|m}} in 1997.<ref name=pathfinderfactold2/>

On September 11, 1995, Pathfinder set an unofficial altitude record for solar powered aircraft of {{convert|50000|ft|m}} during a 12-hour flight from [[Dryden Flight Research Center|NASA Dryden]].<ref name=heliosfact/><ref name=pathfinderfactold/> This and subsequent records claimed by NASA for Pathfinder remain unofficial, as they were not validated by the [[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale|FAI]], the internationally recognized aviation world record sanctioning body.  The [[National Aeronautic Association]] presented the NASA-industry ERAST team with an award for one of the "10 Most Memorable Record Flights" of 1995.<ref name=pathfinderfactold2/>

After further modifications, the aircraft was moved to the [[U.S. Navy]]'s [[Pacific Missile Range Facility]] (PMRF) on the Hawaiian island of [[Kauai]]. On one of seven flights there in the spring and summer of 1997, Pathfinder raised the altitude record for solar-powered aircraft — as well as propeller-driven aircraft — to {{convert|71530|ft|m}} on July 7, 1997. During those flights, Pathfinder carried two lightweight imaging instruments to learn more about the island's terrestrial and coastal ecosystems, demonstrating the potential of such aircraft as platforms for scientific research.<ref name=heliosfact/>