The GOES-R Mission Preliminary Design Review (PDR) Part II Dry-Run was held at GSFC February 8-10, 2012. The Mission PDR – Part II will be held February 28-29, 2012 in the GOES-R Program Offices at the Goddard Space Flight Center.
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The GOES-R Chief Scientist provided a Program Status update at the Warn on Forecast and High Impact Weather Joint Workshop which took place February 7-9, 2012 in Norman, OK. Operational readiness in the GOES-R era was a significant source of discussions throughout the workshop.
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The spacecraft completed the Solar Wing and Command and Data Handling (C&DH) subsystem Critical Design Reviews (CDRs) the week of February 6, 2012.
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GOES-R Ground Segment Project (GSP) prime contractor, Harris Corporation, completed the Mission Management Storage (MMS) Detailed Design Review (DDR) covering three Computer Software Components (CSC): Telemetry Data Manager; Telemetry Data Manager Integration; and Mission Operations Database (MODB) Editor. Harris also completed the Product Generation (PG) Level 2 Ancillary Data Relay System (ADRS) GS Data Interface DDR. (Contact: Vanessa Griffin, 301-286-1760)
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The GOES-R Spacecraft held a successful Battery Critical Design Review (CDR) January 18-19, 2012 at Saft America Inc. in Cockeysville, MD.
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The GOES-R Program and the other conference co-chairs from NESDIS International Affairs, Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), Office of Satellite and Product Operations (OSPO), and Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) participated in a briefing for Mary Kicza, the NOAA Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services, on a proposal for a NOAA Satellite Conference to be held April 8-12, 2013 in Miami, Florida. The Conference would provide NOAA a single venue to focus on and connect with the Direct Readout, GOES, POES, and JPSS user communities. Approval for the Conference was approved and planning activities will commence accordingly.
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The foundations for Wallops Command and Data Acquisition Station (WCDAS) GOES-R Antenna Sites 5 and 8 have been completed.
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GOES-R Ground Segment Project (GSP) prime contractor, Harris Corporation, successfully completed the two-day Space-to-Ground Communications (SGC) system and Raw Data Recorder (RDR) Critical Design Review (CDR) in Columbia, MD. Harris subcontractor Honeywell presented a good level of detail on the SGC/RDR design to meet the requirements levied from Harris and no major disconnects were identified in the design.
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The GOES-R Spacecraft completed the Solar Array Q-Board Mission Readiness Review (MRR).
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The spacecraft completed the System Critical Design Reviews (CDRs) for the UHF and S-Band receiver and the Reference Divider the week of December 5, 2011.
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Final selections for the GOES-R Visiting Scientist Program (VSP) are complete and award letters are in process for the 11 selected proposals of 20 submitted. The VSP will support travel and collaboration among our federal partner laboratories, university cooperative institutes, end users, and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) Satellite Application Facilities.
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The GOES-R Ground Segment Project (GSP) successfully completed the Antenna CDR in Melbourne, FL.
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The GOES-R “Satellite Insight” game for iPhone is now also available on USA.gov.
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The GSP and Antenna System Prime Contractor Harris Corporation completed the System Integration Review (SIR) for the Remote Backup Unit (RBU) Antenna Site Prep and Construction on November 30, 3011. The GSP gave Harris the approval to go forward with construction at the RBU site in Fairmont, WV.
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The MIT-Lincoln Lab and the GOES-R Calibration Working Group (CWG) Semi-Annual Reviews were conducted on November 29th and 30th. Meetings were successful as a forum on addressing activities related to GOES-R L1b data integrity to share information about important calibration and L1b algorithm activities occurring across the GOES-R Program and covering progress in pre-launch data analysis efforts and development of cal/val capabilities for ground and post-launch support.
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New and improved Version 1.1 of the GOES-R Satellite Insight iOS app is now available at iTunes. The latest version offers Spanish language support, additional information about GOES-R, and "quick instructions" popup at start of game. Download now! More
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Read what the LA Times had to say about the GOES-R “Satellite Insight” app! More
More praise for “Satellite Insight!” Check out the Satnews review of the GOES-R app! More
Even more kudos for “Satellite Insight” from The Storm Watch 7 Weather Blog in Washington, DC. More
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Dr. Steve Goodman, GOES-R Program Senior Scientist, has been appointed to the inaugural Council of NOAA Fellows (CNF). The CNF will provide superior scientific advice and support as needed by NOAA leadership with regard to the many scientific challenges that NOAA addresses on a daily basis. The CNF consists of all NOAA employees who occupy Senior Scientist (ST) or Senior Leader (SL) positions — these are leading research scientists and advisors at NOAA who have demonstrated a career of dedication to the advancement of science. They are not only NOAA’s scientific elite, but they also are recognized around the world as leaders in their respective fields.
Dr. Steven Goodman’s research specialization includes the remote sensing of thunderstorms, lightning and precipitation processes, and the application of space-based remote sensing to improve nowcasting and short-range forecasts of convective weather hazards. As the senior program scientist for the GOES-R Program, Dr. Goodman serves as the primary science authority for the nation’s next generation geostationary environmental satellite program, a joint agency development managed by NOAA and NASA. He is a past recipient of the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement for his research on severe storms and in 2011 was named a fellow of the American Meteorological Society.
Media Coverage
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GOES-R Research Satellite Meteorologist Tim Schmit was featured in NASA's Space Place Mission Chronicles in February 2012. Learn about Tim's work with environmental satellites and his contributions to GOES-R.
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The Utah Coalition for Educational Technology blog praises “Satellite Insight” on January 12, 2012. More
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Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research is holding a field campaign to improve sensors that will be aboard the next generation of geostationary satellites (GOES-R). More
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A summary of the Southern Thunder 2011 Workshop was featured in the American Geophysical Union (AGU) EOS Transactions publication, Volume 92, Number 45. More
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“Satellite Insight” is once again in the news! Check out the coverage of the GOES-R iPhone game in the October 2011 National Weather Association Newsletter and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) What’s New column from their latest newsletter. More
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Read what the LA Times had to say about the GOES-R “Satellite Insight” app! More
More praise for “Satellite Insight!” Check out the Satnews review of the GOES-R app! More
The American Meteorological Society blog, The Front Page, reviewed the GOES-R “Satellite Insight” iOS app on Nov. 30, 2011. More
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CIMSS GOES-R Proving Ground activities were featured in the Wisconsin State Journal on Nov. 27, 2011. More
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Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, NOAA Deputy Administrator, spoke about the key role the GOES-R Mission will play in saving lives and lessening economic impacts associated with severe weather in an address to local leaders in Melbourne, FL on July 7, 2011. Webcast.
WGN-TV (Chicago) Meteorologist Tom Skilling conducted a series of interviews at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) in Madison, WI. Please click here to view the interviews.
