Public Invited to NASA Goddard Nimbus Satellite Program 50th Anniversary

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Sep 17, 2014, 04:54 ET

GREENBELT, Md., Sept. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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 are 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 here: http://1.usa.gov/1uGWmtB

The celebration will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014, 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 [email protected] with any questions.

For directions to the NASA Goddard Visitors Center:
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/directions/index.html#

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SOURCE NASA