Spaceflight Meteorology Group

{{Short description|U.S. weather forecasting unit}}

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The Spaceflight Meteorology Group (SMG) is a U.S. weather forecasting unit staffed by the National Weather Service (NWS) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) which provides pertinent information on the current and expected state of the atmosphere during human spaceflight operations. It is located at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. Meteorological information for the broader space program is provided by the 45th Space Wing's 45th Weather Squadron of the U.S. Air Force (USAF).{{cite web |title = SMG and Space Program Mission, History, and Information |publisher = Spaceflight Meteorology Group |date = 3 Oct 2011 |url = http://www.srh.noaa.gov/smg/smgmission.htm |accessdate = 2012-01-24 }}{{cite web |title = Frequently Asked Questions |publisher = Spaceflight Meteorology Group |date = 8 Oct 2002 |url = http://www.srh.noaa.gov/smg/smgFAQ.htm |accessdate = 2012-01-24 }}

SMG covered Space Shuttle missions{{cite journal |last=Brody |first=Frank C. |author2=R.A. Lafosse |author3=D.G. Bellue |author4=T.D. Oram |title=Operations of the National Weather Service Spaceflight Meteorology Group |journal=Weather Forecast. |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=526–44 |date=Sep 1997 |doi=10.1175/1520-0434(1997)012<0526:OOTNWS>2.0.CO;2 |issn=1520-0434 |bibcode = 1997WtFor..12..526B |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1234633 |doi-access=free }} and was planned to cover Orion missions.{{cite conference |first=Timothy |last=Oram |title=NWS Spaceflight Meteorology Group Support for the NASA Constellation Orion Vehicle |book-title=13th Conference on Aviation, Range and Aerospace Meteorology |publisher=American Meteorological Society |date=Jan 2008 |location=New Orleans, LA |url=http://ams.confex.com/ams/88Annual/techprogram/paper_132898.htm }} Following the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis during STS-135 on July 21, 2011, many of the SMG forecasters were relocated elsewhere in the National Weather Service, leaving a reduced staff at JSC.{{cite web |title = Spaceflight Meteorology Group Forecasters To Face Bold New Challenges |publisher = National Weather Service |date = 2011-08-15 |url = http://www.srh.noaa.gov/srh/srnews/stories/2011/smg.htm |accessdate = 2012-01-16 }} The Spaceflight Meteorology Group is also tasked with forecasting emergency landings for Soyuz missions when those rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS).{{cite conference |first = T.D. |last = Oram |title = Verification of world-wide space station emergency landing forecasts - Challenges and results |book-title = 10th Conference on Aviation, Range, and Aerospace Meteorology |pages = 186–8 |publisher = American Meteorological Society |date = May 2002 |location = Portland, OR |url = http://ams.confex.com/ams/pdfpapers/39185.pdf }}