weatherTAP among exclusive previewers of GOES-S satellite
CROSSVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In January, weatherTAP.com Meteorologist Mark Baldwin was one of only 20 members of the media selected to get an exclusive first look at the GOES-S satellite at the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla. The GOES-S satellite is scheduled to be launched into orbit on March 1, on a ULA Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Once in orbit, the satellite will be known as GOES-17 and will cover western North America.
"Being one of so few people who can say they've been in the same room with a GOES satellite is something I'll never forget," said Baldwin. "GOES-S will bring to the Western U.S. what GOES-16 is already bringing to the Eastern U.S."
WeatherTAP is a subscription-based online weather service that provides forecasted and real-time weather information for business, industry and weather enthusiasts. Clients include NASCAR, the PGA and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Baldwin was encouraged by weatherTAP.com's Executive Vice President, Robert Parsons, to apply for a spot on the team that would get advanced access to GOES-S. "GOES-16 and 17 are impressive in their scope and detail," said Parsons. "We are excited to see this information, as well as provide it for our weatherTAP customers. This opportunity was too good to pass up."
The GOES-16 and GOES-17 satellite imagery is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's next generation of geostationary weather satellites. This new system will provide continuous imagery and atmospheric measurements at a speed five times faster than previous satellites, with three times more spectral channels and four times greater spatial resolution. The data from these satellites is expected to increase the warning lead time for thunderstorms and tornadoes; improve hurricane track and intensity forecasts, aviation flight route planning and air quality alerts; as well as offer real-time total lightning data and much more.
"We've been ingesting the GOES-16 data since June 2017 and users can view multiple channels and zoom from a global to a state level," said Stacey Simmons, weatherTAP's Program Manager. "Once GOES-17 is operational and the data is available, users will be able to access it on weatherTAP as well."
With GOES-17, coverage of Alaska will be greatly improved. Currently, the satellites cover a small portion of southern Alaska. GOES-17 will cover the entire state allowing meteorologists to observe and study arctic air masses. The Pacific Ocean will be covered in better detail. This will allow for a greater understanding of how moisture moves across the Pacific, sometimes causing severe flooding in California. The higher resolution of the thermal infrared imagery along with one-minute scans will help firefighters detect wildfires in extremely remote areas and will also bring improved fog detection for areas such as San Francisco Bay.
Both satellites have a Geostationary Lightning Mapper that will detect light emitted by lightning at the tops of clouds, and will also collect information such as location, frequency and duration of lightning discharges. This along with radar and satellite information will help forecasters increase lead time for tornadoes and other severe storms.
Baldwin is excited to return to Kennedy Space Center to watch the launch of GOES-S into orbit next month and be a part of meteorological history. "How often can one say they've been in the same room with a satellite that will be launched into space and then watch that same satellite be launched into space?" asked Baldwin.
"Using GOES-16 imagery, we were able to see the smoke and exhaust from the launch of the Space X Falcon Heavy on Feb. 6," he said. "So, weatherTAP subscribers will be able to see smoke from the launch of the GOES-17 satellite with our GOES-16 imagery."
For more information about weatherTAP, visit the site at weatherTAP.com, or call 888-717-5301.
SOURCE weatherTAP
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