On this episode of Talking Space with Mark Ratterman and Dr Kat Robison we have an excellent interview from Mark with Kennedy Space Center’s Dr Kristin Smith and Kathy Rice, both of whom are in KSC's weather office. Special thanks to KSC’s public affairs team, especially Mary MacLaughlin, who make it possible to bring interviews like this to our listeners. Mark talks with Kristin and Kathy about NASA’s Tropospheric Doppler Radar Wind Profiler (TDRWP) which monitors weather in the upper atmosphere like upper level winds (which we all know are very important on launch days). Kathy and Kristin explain how users, from NASA to SpaceX, utilize this important data and how it differs from other tools, such as weather balloons. The data from TDRWP is publicly available. Also, check out this link for info on how it was tested with ham radio operators and this site for more info on the whole system at KSC.
Mark and Kat also have a brief chat (and please forgive her technical difficulties!) about a few space news topics before the interview. Kat shares about a history making series of launches in Australia at the Arnhem Space Centre (ASC) in the Northern Territory. The series of three sounding rocket launches to study astrophysics were the first NASA launches from a fully commercial spaceport and were undertaken in partnership with Equatorial Launch Australia. She and Mark also discuss the first deep field image from JWST, which includes light from one galaxy which traveled 13.1 billion years to JWST’s mirrors. Find out more and see the rest of JWST’s first images here.
Show recorded: 7-24-2022
Hosts: Mark Ratterman & Dr. Kat Robison
Special Guests: Dr. Kristin Smith and Kathy Rice
Episode 432: The Taming of the Dragon
Episode 431: Jumping to Earth and Beyond
Episode 430: My Science in Space, Ready, Set, Go!
Episode 429: Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue
Episode 428: Brushing Up on MacGyver
Episode 427: Winking at the Moon
Episode 426: The Coronation of 'Coronation'
Episode 425: Super Successes and Fantastic Failures
Episode 424: Geoff Rocks Around the Clock
Episode 423: From SpaceX to Spiders on Station
Episode 422: And the Rocket's Red Glare
Episode 421: News and Inside Discovery Views-Part 2
Episode 420: News and Inside Discovery Views-Part 1
Episode 419: Aerial Displays and Wing-Dings
Episode 418: An Opportunity for Curiosity
Episode 417: Release the Fire-Breathing 'Dragon'
Episode 416: A Six Pack of Thrust
Episode 415: What's 'Mine' is 'Ores' in Space
Episode 414: Space Shuttle Shuffle Special
Episode 413: Station Science Scoop
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