Meteorological Support for Space Operations Review and Recommendations (1988) / Chapter Skim
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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 AtIas-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-th~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 Pane} on Meteorological Support for Space Operations endorses this recommendation.
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From page 3... ...
There will be a need to identify a greater number of low-risk launch windows. This task requires improved observations and predictions of many special meteorological variables and phenomena of unique significance to space launchese.g., triggered lightning, precipitation size and type, wind shear, and turbulence with a degree of sensitivity, timeliness, and accuracy unique to the space program.
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From page 4... ...
Some critical parameters are currently not measured such as drop sizes in clouds and rain, which are hazardous because of the possibility of protective tile damageand there is no program to initiate these types of measurements. At the time when the Atias-Centaur spacecraft was destroyed, NASA and the Air Weather Service were operating the largest network of electric field mills in the world, but measurements of electric fields had not yet been incorporated into the weather commit criteria as a guard against triggered lightning.
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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 forecastmg te~hn;qlles to improve weather support for space operations, to provide forecaster education and try nag to coordinate field programs involving the meteorological commlmity, 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 REMA}~53 The National Aeronautics and Space Adm~n~tration has been poorly organized to provide weather support, and the result ~ a system that ~ 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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