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Title
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Trouble Brewing in Earth’s Atmosphere
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Type
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Primary: Mission Briefing Article
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Operation
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Monster Storms
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Mission:
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Mission 1: The Usual Suspects
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Print Page
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8
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Subjects
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Science | Earth and space science | Cycles | Water cycle | Earth system structure | Atmosphere | Hydrosphere | Energy | Energy transfer | Weather | Hurricanes | Storms | Wind | History and nature of science | Scientific breakthroughs | Scientists and inventors | Science and technology | Engineering technology | Technological design
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Grades
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5 | 6 | 7 | 8
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Keywords
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Anthony Guillory, Hurricane Ophelia, Aerosonde, UAV, hurricanes, uninhabited aerial vehicle, NASA, NOAA, WP-3D Orion, WC-130J, storm, severe storm, monster storm, storm research, hurricane research, weather research, weather data, data collection, meteorology, airplane, aircraft, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Air Force, United States Air Force, hurricane data
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Duration
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00:00:00 (HH:MM:SS)
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Audience
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Teachers | Elementary Grades | Junior High
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Created On
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5/16/2007
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From: Monster Storms Mission 1: The Usual Suspects (pp: 8) |
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Trouble Brewing in Earth’s Atmosphere Find out how 2005's Hurricane Ophelia presented NASA scientist Anthony Guillory with the opportunity to launch an uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV) named Aerosonde into the storm. Aeorosonde's mission was a success; the craft returned to base safely, carrying groundbreaking data about Ophelia, and changed the way scientists study hurricanes. |
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In September 2005, Hurricane Ophelia spun unpredictably off the coast of North Carolina but was beginning to weaken. Some computer models predicted that Ophelia would not make landfall. Other models predicted a direct hit on the East Coast. Ophelia’s unusual behavior had the attention of the U. S. Air Force and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The storm presented a unique research opportunity for the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) as well. NASA planned to launch an uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV) named Aerosonde into the storm. A small group of researchers stationed at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia were patiently preparing to go into action with the little UAV. The Air Force flew a WC-130J airplane into Ophelia at an altitude of 1500 m (4921 ft). NOAA sent in a larger WP-3D Orion aircraft at 3000 m (9842 ft). The intrepid Aerosonde’s first hurricane mission would be at a mere 500 m (1640 ft)! The Air Force and NOAA planes carried full crews to conduct their missions. Aerosonde carried only its payload of instruments. Onboard, a package of sophisticated instruments and software would measure wind speed, direction, altitude, position, sea surface temperature, air temperature, and humidity. The NASA flight support crew, coordinated by Anthony Guillory, NASA’s flight manager at the Wallops Flight Facility, launched Aerosonde into Hurricane Ophelia, and successfully returned the craft to the base when its groundbreaking mission was completed. Aerosonde collected data more refined than the data collected by either of the other planes. The real prize in Aerosonde’s data was a measurement of hurricane-strength winds at a time when Ophelia had been downgraded to a tropical storm. With tools like Aerosonde, weather forecasters are able to predict the behavior of monster storms with increasing accuracy. Their predictions will help to save lives and protect property. Your mission will also involve gathering critical weather intelligence. Work along with the Argonauts you will meet in this mission to learn how to anticipate the threat of a monster storm.  Mission 1 Briefing Video
Prepare for your mission by viewing this briefing on your objectives. Learn about the atmospheric conditions that scientists measure to forecast monster storms.
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