By Carla Voorhees
Kathy Winters is an Air Force Civilian Meteorologist at the 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. She is the Space Shuttle Launch Weather Officer providing weather support to the Space Shuttle Program at Kennedy Space Center as the Launch Team prepares for the 29 April 2011 launch of Endeavour. You can find out more about the 45th Space Wing at their Facebook page.
With the Shuttle Endeavour launch date postponed until repairs are complete, the 45th Weather Squadron is focused on the Altas V launch Friday, 6 May 2011. Clay Flinn is the Launch Weather Officer for the Atlas V and has been issuing launch forecasts and providing weather support to the 45th Space Wing and United Launch Alliance teams all week. On Thursday, 5 May, the weather was favorable, and the team rolled the Atlas V to the launch pad. On Friday, afternoon cumulus clouds including possibly thunderstorms are expected; the question is whether they will occur during the early-afternoon launch window. See the launch forecast link for the latest information.
During the Atlas V launch countdown, our weather forecasters will still issue watches, warnings, and advisories for Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. We issue lightning watches and warnings for each launch complex and processing area individually so that, even if a thunderstorm is occurring over one area, unless there is lightning within 5 nautical miles, other areas can continue work. If a lightning strike occurs close to one of our launch vehicles, we send the launch team information about the lightning strike from our Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Surveillance System. The launch team then decides if the strike requires vehicle systems tests or inspections. Of course, any lightning strike within 10 nautical miles of the Atlas V launch path will violate the lightning launch commit criteria.
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