Meteorological Support for Space Operations Review and Recommendations (1988) / Chapter Skim
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Pages 1-8
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It is vital to make improvements within the meteorological support and launch decision infrastructure of NASA that may avert a repetition of tragedies such as the Atlas-Centaur 67 destruction on March 26, 1987, and the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion on January 28, 1986. This report recommends mechanisms by which NASA can put into operation state-of-the-science meteorological technology and advanced weather forecasting techniques to enhance the efficiency, reliability, and safety of space operations.
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Their first and foremost recommendation was that "Shuttle weather services must be organized in such a way to bring them up to the very best state-of-the-science and technology and under an optimal management situation." Toward this end, they recommended that "NASA should establish a Weather Support Office at the top level of Shuttle operations to plan, organize, focus, and direct the activities related to Space Shuttle weather support." The Panel on Meteorological Support for Space Operations endorses this recommendation. (All recommendations from the Theon report are reproduced in Appendix C of this report.)
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From page 3... ...
Each of NASA's research centers should be strongly encouraged to commit some of its resources in the effort to upgrade meteorological support for the space program. Although Air Weather Service and National Weather Service forecasters have been supporting space operations with skill and dedication, the technology and techniques they have employed up to this time are not adequate to meet unique and stringent future requirements.
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Flight rules and launch commit criteria should be based on these relationships. Many of the meteorological variables critically affecting space operations have not been adequately quantified to the point where weather support can be focused on specific threshold values.
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Present weather forecasting techniques have been developed for use with the types of data previously available and will need to be modified to incorporate new data bases. Improvements in knowledge of the quantitative relationships between weather elements and space flight risk will necessitate a fine-tuning of weather forecasts to accurately predict specific values of particular weather variables.
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From page 6... ...
should be established at Kennedy Space Center to promote the development and application of new measurement technology and new weather analysis and forecasting techniques to improve weather support for space operations, to provide forecaster education and training, to coordinate field programs involving the meteorological community, and to conduct an active visiting scientist program. The paramount function of the Air Weather Service detachment at the Cape Canaveral Forecast Facility, which services KSC and the NOAA group at JSC, is to provide operational weather support on a daily basis for the many launches and ground activities in progress.
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From page 7... ...
CONCLUDING REMARKS The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been poorly organized to provide weather support, and the result is a system that is less than state-of-the-science. Unless radical changes are made now in the way services and applied research are coordinated, weather will loom larger as a threat to a rejuvenated and accelerated space flight program.
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From page 8... ...
Because of its high visibility, the space program is a critical focal point from which the public, the national and international scientific communities, and the nation's decision makers derive their perceptions of the scientific, engineering, and technological expertise in the United States. It is incumbent on all scientists and engineers to be sure that the best technology and expertise are utilized to ensure the success of the program.
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