NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will mark 50 years since the launch of the first Nimbus satellite with a free public event at its visitor center on Oct. 8, from noon to 5 p.m. EDT. Anyone wishing to attend is asked to register because seating is limited.
NASA’s Nimbus Earth-observation research satellite program began with the launch of Nimbus-1 on Aug. 28, 1964. NASA launched seven Nimbus satellites through 1978. They carried a combined 33 instruments that observed Earth in visible, infrared, ultraviolet and microwave light, and played a key role in demonstrating the instrument technology used on today’s meteorological satellites.
The Nimbus instruments monitored Earth’s meteorological, climatic, oceanographic and terrestrial behaviors. Nimbus led the way in revolutionizing weather forecasting to achieve accurate long-term forecasts; educating the scientific community about the upper atmosphere ozone depletion process and the protection against ultraviolet exposure issues; developing equipment location techniques that led to the worldwide Search and Rescue System that has saved thousands of lives; and advancing the understanding of Earth’s fundamental energy budget in relation to climate change considerations.
Speakers at the Oct. 8 celebration will include former Nimbus program members, meteorologists and Earth scientists, who will highlight the program’s many accomplishments. Topics will include:
- NASA Perspective on the Nimbus Program
- Weather Forecasting Methodology is Revolutionized
- 40 Years of Satellite Precipitation Estimates: From Nimbus to GPM
- The World is Educated about Ozone Depletion
- Search and Rescue System Saved Thousands of Lives
- Nimbus and TV weather: Co-evolutions
A complete copy of the agenda is available online.
The celebration will be held at NASA Goddard’s Visitor Center, located on ICESat Road in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Parking and seating are limited, and advance registration is required to participate. Registration will remain open through Sept. 26, 2014, or until guest capacity is reached.
To attend, register at http://socialforms.nasa.gov/nimbus-50th-anniversary-goddard-visitor-center-event-registration. Please contact Cynthia O’Carroll at Cynthia.m.ocarroll@nasa.gov with any questions.
Related Links
- Event registration link
- Event agenda (PDF)
- Directions to NASA Goddard’s visitor center
- University of Colorado: Nimbus Data Rescue – Recovering the Past to Understand the Future (29 Aug. 2014)
- NASA’s Earth Observatory: Nimbus’ 40th Anniversary (19 July 2005)
Cynthia O’Carroll
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
301-286-4787
cynthia.m.ocarroll@nasa.gov