1. DMSP Defense Meteorological Satellite Program

2. What is DMSP?
DMSP is a government program in which Lockheed Martin(LM) is tasked with assembling, testing, and launching weather satellites into low-orbit for the purpose of providing the military with meteorological data (both space & terrestrial) that will be used in operational planning.
DMSP is the longest-running production satellite program in the world with over 50 years of service.

3. DMSP Highlights
Saved many billions of dollars and countless human lives as a result of timely weather forecasts
The Apollo 11 crew was saved by a DMSP weather forecast that led to change in their re-entry location.
Current weather info from DMSP has been invaluable to military planning in recent years due to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

4. First Sun-Synchronous Orbit
DMSP was the first satellite to use a sun-synchronous orbit which means that the satellite passes over a given latitude at the same local sun time.
Sun-synchronous orbits are less expensive and provide greater coverage than geostationary orbits especially above 55°N latitude or below 55°S latitude.
The satellite orbits the poles approximately 515 miles above the Earth while the Earth rotates on its axis.

5. Impressive Longevity & Features
The satellites were designed to be operational for 3 years, but all have lasted beyond that design life. Some have continued providing data for over 13 years. There are still two more satellites that will be launched during the next decade.
The solar array provides power directly to the spacecraft loads, or to the battery for storage. When the spacecraft is in eclipse, the battery supplies the power for the loads.

6. What I did last
I collaborated with another teacher to create a DMSP training plan so that engineers who are new to the program and the customer (U. S. Air Force) can learn about DMSP in a timely manner.
First I had to learn a great deal about DMSP myself. I did this by speaking with the systems engineers whose specialties include electrical, mechanical, guidance navigation and control, propulsion, thermal, and communications.

7. I also …
observed the satellite up-close and personal by touring the high bay where the next satellite that will be launched was being prepared. I witnessed the satellite (2,552 lbs) being lifted and rotated.
toured several facilities at LM including FBM, Solar Array Center, AEHF, THAAD, and the Advanced Technology Center which was instrumental in launching IRIS this summer to study the Sun.
participated in a special tour of NASA Ames.

8. What I learned…
Teamwork is Important!! I attended numerous meetings at DMSP and witnessed the importance of group work. Whenever there was a problem that didn’t have a “quick fix”, the engineers would brainstorm to come up with the best resolution.
The more you learn in school, the more exciting your career will be.
Math is extremely important to the accurate and proper function of the spacecraft.

9. My personal outlook on DMSP
I have a personal connection to DMSP. As a new U.S. Air Force weather officer, (many years ago), I was assigned to a base on Okinawa, Japan where there was a receiving station for the satellite photos. One of my duties was to position the typhoons in the western Pacific each time we received the images.
Since Okinawa is such a small island surrounded by a large expanse of water, there was a dearth of weather information. Although the ships in the region would provide weather observations, their data was unreliable and oftentimes inaccurate. Hence, the DMSP data was crucial to preparing accurate forecasts.

10. Weather Satellites & Geometry
Knowledge of geometry is necessary for the engineers who design and build the DMSP spacecraft.
Angles, circles, spheres, triangles, trigonometry, rotations, tangents, Pythagorean Theorem, etc. all come into play.
You will be collaborating with classmates, just like the DMSP engineers, on some problems that connect weather satellites and geometry.

11. Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous (GEO-1)
This artist rendering of a satellite in space depicts some of the geometry involved. Notice the points on the sphere, tangent lines, secants, arcs, angles, sphere, circle, polygons, and the potential use of right triangles. This confirms that geometry rules the universe!