Date of presentation: 12-Dec-2016
Subject: The GOES Satellite Program
Description: David discussed the Geostationary Orbital Environmental Satellite (GOES) program. This program started in 1975 to provide geostationary satellites for weather forecasting. There are two satellites active at any given time, GOES East and GOES West, with an online, or in-orbit, spare. This gives complete coverage of the Western Hemisphere to image clouds in the visible and infrared spectrums, and provide soundings to determine the amount of water vapor, cloud heights, and ozone layer. Current satellites also monitor solar weather. The satellites have the ability to receive and retransmit signals from the earth, and even have been used as communications satellites for Antarctic research stations. GOES satellites also used by the AFRCC to listen for ELTs.
