MSFC Natural Environments Weather Data Quality Control Activities
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Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Brenton, James.
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This paper documents the methodology and results of analyses used to certify the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Tropospheric Doppler Radar Wind Profiler (TDRWP) as input to launch commit evaluations for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Space Launch System Program (SLSP). These analyses, and the requirements that they address, were designed by the Marshall Space Flight Center Natural Environments Branch (MSFC NE) to certify that the TDRWP provides data of sufficient accuracy and resolution for SLSP, and that the instrument provides enough reliability to support Day-of- Launch Initialization Loads Update (DOLILU) operations. On day-of-launch (DOL), space launch vehicle operators have used data from wind profilers to reverse a previous GO call in prelaunch loads and trajectory assessments due to the profiler’s capability to quickly identify changes in the wind profile within a rapidly changing wind environment. Certification of the TDRWP would allow SLSP to use DOL wind data generated by the TDRWP to design the vehicle trajectory and to verify trajectory and load constraints during the countdown for launch commit decision.
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The purpose of this analysis is to determine the vertical variability of the air temperature below 500 feet at Launch Complex (LC) 39-B at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This analysis utilizes data from the LC39-B Lightning Protection System (LPS) Towers and the 500 foot Tower 313. The results of this analysis will be used to help evaluate the ambient air temperature Launch Commit Criteria (LCC) for the Exploration Mission 1 launch.
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The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of instrumentation discussed at the Meteorological Interface Control Working Group (MSICWG), a reference for data formats currently used by members of the group, a summary of proposed formats for future use by the group, an overview of the data networks of the group's members. This document will be updated as new systems are introduced, old systems are retired, and when the MSICWG community necessitates a change to the formats. The MSICWG consists of personnel from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kennedy Space Center (KSC), NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service Spaceflight Meteorology Group (SMG), and the United States Air Force (USAF) 45th Space Wing and Weather Squadron. The purpose of the group is to coordinate the distribution of weather related data to support NASA space launch related activities.
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The disastrous tornado outbreak in Alabama on April 27, 2011 greatly impacted the economy of the state. On record, the tornado outbreak was the second deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. When considering the agricultural and value-added activities such as food and timber processing, farm inputs, manufacturing, transportation, and retail sales, the dollar value of Alabama agribusiness annually exceeds $40 billion (NASS, 2011). This research aims to examine how the timber and agriculture damage affected the state economy of Alabama and will be used to aid in long-term economic recovery. ASTER imagery was used along with ground-truthed NASS (National Agriculture Statistics Service) crop location records to verify the economic impact tornadoes had on the agricultural economy of the state. This swath damage can be calculated by correlating tornado path with NASS statistics on crop yield, precisely showing the fields affected and dollars lost to this disaster. Not only can this be executed manually using ENVI and ArcGIS, but also through the use of Python, a programming language that has the ability to automate the process, creating a product for initial damage assessment.