better prepared for weather and climate events. Their warnings help save lives and
property, protect resources and the environment and support socio-economic growth.
WMO supports the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services with this
work as well as its international commitments in disaster risk reduction, climate
change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable development.
WMO programs facilitate and promote:
• The establishment of networks of observational stations to provide weather,
climate and water-related data.
• The establishment and maintenance of data management centers and telecommunication systems for the provision and rapid exchange of weather,
climate and water-related data.
• The creation of standards for observation and monitoring in order to ensure
adequate uniformity in the practices and procedures employed globally and,
thereby, ascertain the homogeneity of data and statistics.
• The application of science and technology in operational meteorology and
hydrology to aviation, transport (air, land and maritime), water resource
management, agriculture and other focus areas.
• Activities in operational hydrology as well as closer cooperation between
the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in the States and
Territories where they are separate.
• The coordination of research and training in meteorology and related fields.
When balloon scientists need weather information, they work through the U.S.
National Weather Service, which has data from the WMO and its international
meteorological contacts.
9.1.7 JPL
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA is a unique national facility that
undertakes robotic space missions for Earth and planetary sciences. They have
built 69 spacecraft and more than 170 sensors and payloads that have explored
every planet in our solar system, including New Horizons, which provided our
first close look at Pluto in July 2015. The Parker Solar Probe launched in 2018 will
be the first spacecraft to penetrate the Sun’s atmosphere. The recent Mars
Perseverance mission will arrive about the time this book is published.
The public sees the JPL Control Center during coverage of planetary missions,
but one does not think of JPL as playing a major role in scientific stratospheric
balloons. Nevertheless, it does. These efforts are part of JPL’s science research
departments such as Astrophysics and Space Sciences. Principal investigators,
program managers and scientists that support flights often come from JPL; for
example the upcoming Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for High Spectral
Resolution Observations at Submillimeter-wavelengths (ASTHROS) that was discussed in Chapter 3 and Chapter 7.
206 The Balloon World
property, protect resources and the environment and support socio-economic growth.
WMO supports the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services with this
work as well as its international commitments in disaster risk reduction, climate
change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainable development.
WMO programs facilitate and promote:
• The establishment of networks of observational stations to provide weather,
climate and water-related data.
• The establishment and maintenance of data management centers and telecommunication systems for the provision and rapid exchange of weather,
climate and water-related data.
• The creation of standards for observation and monitoring in order to ensure
adequate uniformity in the practices and procedures employed globally and,
thereby, ascertain the homogeneity of data and statistics.
• The application of science and technology in operational meteorology and
hydrology to aviation, transport (air, land and maritime), water resource
management, agriculture and other focus areas.
• Activities in operational hydrology as well as closer cooperation between
the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in the States and
Territories where they are separate.
• The coordination of research and training in meteorology and related fields.
When balloon scientists need weather information, they work through the U.S.
National Weather Service, which has data from the WMO and its international
meteorological contacts.
9.1.7 JPL
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA is a unique national facility that
undertakes robotic space missions for Earth and planetary sciences. They have
built 69 spacecraft and more than 170 sensors and payloads that have explored
every planet in our solar system, including New Horizons, which provided our
first close look at Pluto in July 2015. The Parker Solar Probe launched in 2018 will
be the first spacecraft to penetrate the Sun’s atmosphere. The recent Mars
Perseverance mission will arrive about the time this book is published.
The public sees the JPL Control Center during coverage of planetary missions,
but one does not think of JPL as playing a major role in scientific stratospheric
balloons. Nevertheless, it does. These efforts are part of JPL’s science research
departments such as Astrophysics and Space Sciences. Principal investigators,
program managers and scientists that support flights often come from JPL; for
example the upcoming Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for High Spectral
Resolution Observations at Submillimeter-wavelengths (ASTHROS) that was discussed in Chapter 3 and Chapter 7.
206 The Balloon World