Thunderstorm, by Grant Petty

A huge thunderstorm cloud
Image Caption
A huge thundercloud in Dane County, Wisconsin.

Date and Location:
May 22, 2011
Dane County, Wisconsin

How this Photo was Taken:
“I was out on a farm with a photography club for the purpose of photographing farm life -- animals, barns, etc. I saw this impressive thunderstorm building several miles to the east of where we were and ended up focusing on that while the others in the group continued to follow the goats and horses around. This is one of many examples of how a completely unplanned photo wound up being among my best photos.

GPM: Hurricanes Beyond the Tropics

Submitted by JacobAdmin on
Video Embed

On August 28, 2011, Tropical Storm Irene hit Vermont, causing widespread damage and the worst flooding in 75 years. Irene's impact in New England shows that tropical cyclones can greatly affect regions outside the view of TRMM. The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission will build upon TRMM's legacy by examining a larger swath of Earth with more sensitive instruments.

 

Solar Array Vibration and Acoustic Testing

GPM's two solar array wings completed vibration and acoustic testing at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The solar arrays were integrated to an identical copy of the Lower Bus Structure of the satellite for this testing. These tests and deployments demonstrate the ability of the solar array to withstand the vibrations and sounds the satellite will be subject to during launch as well as test the ability of the solar arrays to unfold once in orbit. Diagram of the GPM Core Observatory depicting various components of the Solar Array Assembly.