Spaceflight Meteorology Group's mission procedures in support of the Space Shuttle program

The Spaceflight Meteorology Group (SMG) and its predecessors have been an essential part of NASA's mission control team since the inception of the space program. SMG is a National Weather Service office working for NASA under a reimbursable agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). SMG is an integral member of the Space Shuttle flight control team at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX. SMG issues all landing weather forecasts for the Space Shuttle from launch aborts through the end of the mission. To accomplish this, SMG meteorologists work directly with flight directors and flight controllers before, during, and after each mission to insure a safe flight. One SMG lead meteorologist is assigned as Mission Lead Forecaster for each mission and directs all of SMG's activities for that mission. To accomplish all tasks effectively and efficiently, the mission Lead adheres to a set of SMG defined mission procedures.