Who provides operational weather analysis and forecasts to the space program?
Two organizations provide most of the operational weather support to NASA manned space programs: SMG is an integral part of the Flight Control Team in the Mission Control Center at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The JSC Flight Director leads the flight control team and is responsible for all operational decisions regarding orbital flight and Shuttle landings. The Flight Director has immediate, direct interface with SMG forecasters who monitor weather conditions at all the possible landing sites. On occasion SMG forecasters will provide meteorologic advice for Earth observation photography and other experiments. Flight Directors and Flight Control Team members work directly with SMG meteorologists between missions to evaluate and revise weather Flight Rules, receive in-depth weather training, participate in Shuttle landing simulations, review launch and landing times based on climatology, and resolve weather questions and issues concerning all Shuttle landing sites. The USA
