GPM

A three day meeting, co-sponsored by NESDIS/STAR and NWS/OHD, is being held at the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center (ESSIC) at the University of Maryland from November 29th through December 1st. This meeting follows up on the highly successful first workshop from August 2010 and focuses on user applications of GPM-era data and products. The meeting attendees, including government researchers, academics, and representatives from commercial industry, will hear presentations from NOAA and NASA representatives as well as other end users. The meeting is organized around the five high

Over 150 scientists from 10 different countries are meeting in Denver, Colorado, to discuss rain and snow and how to measure them from space. Only once a year members of the Precipitation Measurement Missions (PMM) Science Team come together to discuss the science surrounding both the current Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and the upcoming Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission that will launch in 2014. The four-day meeting opened on Monday, November 7th with a focus on the mission status for both TRMM and GPM, and continues with breakout sessions, scientific presentations

(ambient audio only) This and other similar tests will verify the deployment function of the GPM Core Observatory solar arrays in ambient condition. Data such as deployment time, hinge forces, and system stiffness will be gathered and reviewed for requirement compliance. The qualification unit was assembled with flight and non-flight components. The flight components will be removed and integrated with the flight unit after qualification testing. GPM's two solar array wings that extend to the right (+Y) and left (-Y) of the spacecraft are currently undergoing assembly and testing at Goddard

GPM and CloudSat ground validation researchers are currently meeting at the University of Helsinki to discuss strategies for analyzing airborne and ground-based datasets from the Light Precipitation Validation Experiment (LPVEx) field campaign. This data analysis will help improve satellite-based precipitation retrievals in high latitude light rain and snowfall events. Dr. Ari-Matte Hari, Director of the Radar and Space Technology Group, FMI, welcomes the group to the University of Helsinki and FMI. Learn more about the LPVEx field campaign

A beta-version of the GPM Combined Algorithm code was released this week for the purpose of internal testing by team members. The GPM Combined Algorithm is developed to integrate sensor information from the two instruments onboard the GPM Core Observatory: the Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) and the GPM Microwave Imager (GMI). The sophisticated software program combines raw data from each of the instruments to provide more comprehensive estimates of precipitation rate, water content profile, and drop distribution; that is, the software is important for translating what the instruments

On the afternoon of Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook the Building 29 clean room which houses the GPM spacecraft. The following day, the team carefully inspected the I&T area and spacecraft. There was no visible damage or debris, and post-earthquake inspections identified no problems.

The High Gain Antenna System (HGAS) onboard the GPM Core Observatory finished acoustics and post-environmental deployment testing at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The HGAS will then undergo Thermal Vacuum testing before it is completed and delivered in mid-September. The below video shows a test of the High Gain Antenna System as it will deploy once in orbit aboard the GPM Core Observatory. Learn more about the HGAS and the GPM Core Observatory

The GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) successfully completed Pre-Environmental Review (PER) on July 19-20, 2011, at Ball Aerospace in Colorado, which marks another key milestone for the GMI instrument. The GMI will undergo acoustic testing, vibration testing, and electromagnetic and thermal vacuum testing starting in August 2011. The GMI instrument is a multi-channel, conical-scanning, microwave radiometer, enabling the GPM Core Observatory to serve as a radiometric reference and also a transfer standard for the other GPM constellation members. Learn more about the GMI