SMG Supports Landing of the Space Shuttle

SMG Lead Forecasters Richard Lafosse (left) and Karl Silverman (STS-114 mission lead) monitor weather patterns in preparation for landing of Space Shuttle Discovery

The National Weather Service Spaceflight Meteorology Group (SMG) played a key role in bringing the Space Shuttle Discovery and its crew home safely. Located at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, SMG meteorologists were closely monitoring and advising Mission Control about current and forecasted weather conditions at the primary landing site at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida - as well as the alternate sites at Edwards AFB in California and White Sands, N.M.

Discovery was originally scheduled for an early morning landing at KSC, Monday, August 8. But uncooperative weather conditions prompted SMG to advise against it and Mission Control called a "wave off" until the following day. SMG Director Frank Brody says radar makes it easy to know the location of thunderstorms at any given time, but forecasters must be able to predict where they will be an hour and a half before touchdown.

Controllers say the risk is too great unless thunderstorms are at least 30 nautical miles away from the Shuttle's glide path. There is approximately one hour between the time a shuttle fires its retro rockets to slow descent and the actual landing. The "go" or "no go" decision has to be made before the shuttle commits.

Since weather in Florida was still a problem on Tuesday, the alternate landing site at Edwards AFB was selected. There -- as NASA and the nation let out a collective sigh of relief - Space Shuttle Discovery and her crew glided to safe, textbook landing.