information to internal and external users via a C-band satellite system named
NOAAPort. Since the system went live in 1998 the array of data that it supplies
has continued to expand. It is disseminated freely.
Planetary Data, Inc., (PDI) provides NASA balloon launches with NOAAPort
Receive Systems (NRS) for weather data direct from a C-band ground station or
via an internet feed from a PDI ground station. Availability is 24/7 depending on
local computers, workstations and servers. The WFF and the CSBF at Palestine,
TX and Fort Sumner, NM make use of this data.
When balloon scientists need weather information they work through NOAA’s
NWS. This also has data from international meteorological contacts such as the
World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The NWS carries out its principal task via a collection of national and regional
centers and 122 local Weather Forecast Offices (WFO). It supports the aviation
community, including the balloon community, by creating a number of forecasts.
Each WFO has responsibility for the issuance of Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts
(TAF) for airports in its jurisdiction. TAFs are concise, coded 24 hour forecasts for
a specific airport (or 30 hour forecasts for certain airports). They are issued every
6 hours with amendments as appropriate. As opposed to a public weather forecast
a TAF only addresses the weather elements critical to aviation, such as wind, visibility, cloud cover, and wind shear. The crews at the various balloon launch sites
monitor the NWS and its TAFs. Foreign operators draw upon their own equivalent
services, as well as those of the WMO.
Because balloons are only launched when the conditions on the ground and
aloft are acceptable the launch teams constantly monitor the local weather, that
along the projected flight path, and that at the potential termination and recover
areas.
There are 21 NWS Center Weather Service Units (CWSU) collocated with the
Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC) of the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA). Their main responsibility is to provide up-to-the-minute weather data and
briefings to the Traffic Management Units and control room supervisors. Special
attention is given to conditions that could be hazardous to aviation or impede the
flow of air traffic in the National Airspace System.
In addition to its scheduled and unscheduled briefings for decision-makers in
the ARTCC and other FAA facilities, CWSU also issues two unscheduled products. The Center Weather Advisory (CWA) is an aviation weather warning relating
to thunderstorms, icing, turbulence, low ceilings and visibilities. A Meteorological
Impact Statement (MIS) is a 2-to-12 hour forecast outlining weather conditions
which are expected to impact ARTCC operations. The OCC or ROCC may also
contact their nearest ARTCC for the latest weather information. This monitoring
is carried out both prior to and after a balloon launch. See Section 4.2.3 for RealTime Weather and Winds.
68 Mission Drivers and Operations
NOAAPort. Since the system went live in 1998 the array of data that it supplies
has continued to expand. It is disseminated freely.
Planetary Data, Inc., (PDI) provides NASA balloon launches with NOAAPort
Receive Systems (NRS) for weather data direct from a C-band ground station or
via an internet feed from a PDI ground station. Availability is 24/7 depending on
local computers, workstations and servers. The WFF and the CSBF at Palestine,
TX and Fort Sumner, NM make use of this data.
When balloon scientists need weather information they work through NOAA’s
NWS. This also has data from international meteorological contacts such as the
World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The NWS carries out its principal task via a collection of national and regional
centers and 122 local Weather Forecast Offices (WFO). It supports the aviation
community, including the balloon community, by creating a number of forecasts.
Each WFO has responsibility for the issuance of Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts
(TAF) for airports in its jurisdiction. TAFs are concise, coded 24 hour forecasts for
a specific airport (or 30 hour forecasts for certain airports). They are issued every
6 hours with amendments as appropriate. As opposed to a public weather forecast
a TAF only addresses the weather elements critical to aviation, such as wind, visibility, cloud cover, and wind shear. The crews at the various balloon launch sites
monitor the NWS and its TAFs. Foreign operators draw upon their own equivalent
services, as well as those of the WMO.
Because balloons are only launched when the conditions on the ground and
aloft are acceptable the launch teams constantly monitor the local weather, that
along the projected flight path, and that at the potential termination and recover
areas.
There are 21 NWS Center Weather Service Units (CWSU) collocated with the
Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC) of the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA). Their main responsibility is to provide up-to-the-minute weather data and
briefings to the Traffic Management Units and control room supervisors. Special
attention is given to conditions that could be hazardous to aviation or impede the
flow of air traffic in the National Airspace System.
In addition to its scheduled and unscheduled briefings for decision-makers in
the ARTCC and other FAA facilities, CWSU also issues two unscheduled products. The Center Weather Advisory (CWA) is an aviation weather warning relating
to thunderstorms, icing, turbulence, low ceilings and visibilities. A Meteorological
Impact Statement (MIS) is a 2-to-12 hour forecast outlining weather conditions
which are expected to impact ARTCC operations. The OCC or ROCC may also
contact their nearest ARTCC for the latest weather information. This monitoring
is carried out both prior to and after a balloon launch. See Section 4.2.3 for RealTime Weather and Winds.
68 Mission Drivers and Operations