Sky’s the limit for Winchester resident helping with NASA project

What is invisible to the naked eye in daylight, but can be seen passing overhead on a cloudless night, away from the city lights?

The answer is a weather satellite.

Currently, weather satellites the size of school buses are floating above Winchester, orbiting the globe. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) uses these satellites to observe the weather and to collect data that help forecasters make weather predictions.

This data is crucial, especially when it comes to predicting extreme weather conditions like tropical cyclones. Forecasters use these satellite measurements to predict if a hurricane will make landfall, how intense the storm will be, if evacuations are necessary, and so forth.

The current set of satellites is expensive and thus the number of satellites orbiting the globe is limited. Winchester resident William “Bill” Blackwell and his team at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory have set out to resolve this problem.

This article was originally published in the Winchester Star October 16, 2019. Read the full article here: https://winchester.wickedlocal.com/news/20191016/skys-limit-for-winchester-resident-helping-with-nasa-project