Weather Support to the Challenger Mission 51-L.

Abstract

Weather support to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA)Shuttle mission involves resources of both the National Weathre Service (NWS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Air Weather Service (AWS) of the United States Air Force (USAF). The two primary interfaces are the NWS's Spaceflight Meteorology Group (SMG) which provides direct support to the Johnson Space Center (JSC), and the AWS's Detachment 11, Second Weather Squadron, which provides direct support to the Kennedy Space Center through the USAF's Cape Canaveral Forecast Facility (CCFF). This paper looks at the weather for the one specific Shuttle mission, 51-L, and the weather support provided by the CCFF personnel for that mission. Interactive graphics and satellite meteorology played key roles in weather support through use of the Meteorological Interactive Data Display System (MIDDS), previously described by Boyd and Myers (1986) and Young et al (1985). While this paper provides an overview, the detailed utilization of the MIDDS for that mission has been recorded on video tape.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1987
Accession Number
ADA175918

Entities

People

  • B. F. Boyd
  • C. S. Funk
  • F. P. Lockwood
  • J. W. Weems

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Computer Graphics
  • Data Displays
  • Display Systems
  • Graphics
  • Interactive Graphics
  • Meteorology
  • Military Personnel
  • United States
  • Video Tapes

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering.
  • Atmospheric Science/Meteorology

Technology Areas

  • Space