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| Spaceflight Meteorology |
Case Introduction
Welcome, detectives! Everything you need to get started in your investigation is at your fingertips! Click the links below to learn the problem situation, your role, and the criteria for the case. Be sure to review the steps in the problem-solving process!Here's the Situation!
You are a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Spaceflight Meteorology Group. It is the 7th of September. There is currently a tropical system developing off the coast of Africa, and NASA has a scheduled launch at Cape Canaveral, Florida on the 12th of September. The Center Director of Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has requested that your team track the storm and report its behavior to his staff so that the KSC Emergency Preparedness Officer can execute the center's Hurricane Plan and determine if a shuttle rollback will be required.Your Role in the Case!
You are a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Spaceflight Meteorology Group. You have been asked to track the storm and report its behavior to the Center Director and Emergency Preparedness Officer of NASA's Kennedy Space Center. NASA has arranged for the use of a fully equipped laboratory and research library complete with internet connections.A meteorologist is one who studies the atmosphere, weather patterns, and trends in the global climate. Your team is to use the resources provided to monitor the weather system, make a report that highlights the forecasted weather, and provide a recommendation to KSC regarding the scheduled launch of the Space Shuttle.
- In Dr. D's Laboratory, you will find Storm Tracker [requires Flash], an online tool that can be used to plot the tropical system's progress and make predictions about its landfall.
- In the Research Rack, you will find resources about hurricanes, weather alerts, NASA technology used to track storms, and more!
The Criteria for the Case
Use your knowledge of tropical weather systems to monitor and report the movement of the storm developing off the coast of Africa. Keep the following criteria in mind as you solve this phenomenal weather problem!
- Develop a plan of action.
- Keep a journal that includes investigative questions, important issues, and resources in the Problem Log provided.
- Produce a final report that informs the Center Director and Emergency Preparedness Officer at KSC of the storm's progress and make a recommendation regarding the September 12th space shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
NASA has collected resources to help you get started in your investigation, and KSC has some recommendations listed below that will help guide your team.
- Track the course of the weather system using the Storm Tracker online tool. Print out the following resources to use along with the software:
- Make predictions about the storm's most likely track and location of landfall and issue weather advisories when necessary. Record this data on the Storm-Tracking Log.
- Notify NASA officials of the weather conditions and make recommendations regarding the scheduled launch of the Space Shuttle on Sept. 12th using the Weather Status Report - Space Shuttle Launch form.