Visit to The Weather Channel
June 26, 2010 | Category: NASA, Trips, Weather | Leave a Comment
I recently visited The Weather Channel on behalf of NASA’s Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (SPoRT). We provide them (and others, including The National Weather Service) with high-resolution NASA satellite data and I visited to see if TWC would be interested in additional products. I was able to meet Dr. Greg Forbes (severe weather expert) and Dr. Richard Knabb (hurricane expert), who were both very nice. Jim Cantore wasn’t in, but I did see his cubicle, which contained a bulk-sized box of 5-Hour Energy Drink (not too surprising). I was also allowed to sit in on a live broadcast from the HD Studio, where I met Jen Carfagno and Stephanie Abrams.
More info about SPoRT: http://wwwghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/sport/
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Tags: The Weather Channel
Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery
April 13, 2010 | Category: Astronomy, NASA | Leave a Comment
We were very lucky to get NASA employee passes to view the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-131) from the NASA Causeway on April 5, 2010, approximately 6 miles due south of launch pad 39A. We were joined by Valerie’s parents and this was the first time any of us had seen a launch in person. There are only 4 more missions on the manifest (including STS-131) before the Shuttle program is retired. Click the thumbnail below to view a video and photographs of the launch.
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Megan at 14 and 15 Months
March 4, 2010 | Category: Family | 3 Comments
A montage (WE NEED A MONTAGE!) of clips from the last few months. The highlight is that Megan has begun to walk on her own.
Go directly to the video to view it in full high-definition glory.
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Photos of the tornado that hit downtown Huntsville, Alabama late in the afternoon on Thursday, January 21, 2010. Shot on the west side of the Huntsville International Airport looking towards the northeast. This may be a byproduct of my perspective, but it sure seemed to me that the tornado and antecedent wall cloud were attached to the anti-cyclonic/left-split mesocyclone. Based on the radar imagery (found in the album), it appears that this may have been an anti-cyclonic tornado. Feel free to offer your own opinion. Not too bad of a chase for only having driven 10 miles from home. Thanks for the phone call and heads-up on the storm, Barry!
UPDATE: After further analysis, not only was I wrong about this being an anti-cyclonic tornado, I was also wrong about the storm split. The clear slot you see in the middle of the storm is actually the rear flank downdraft. I guess I’m a bit rusty on identifying storm structure.
UPDATE 2: The NWS is calling this an EF2 with estimated winds of 115 MPH. Not too shabby. Here’s a link to the storm survey.
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Tags: Huntsville, tornado
Megan’s First Haircut
January 16, 2010 | Category: Family | Leave a Comment
Here are photos of Megan’s first hair cut. Actually, it was more of a trim. We took Megan to see Mindy, who cuts our hair. She always does a great job and can be reached at 256-361-7316 (Expressions Salon in Madison, Alabama).
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Tags: Megan
Megan’s 1-Year Portraits
December 7, 2009 | Category: Family | 2 Comments
Courtesy of JCPenny.
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Early December Snow
December 5, 2009 | Category: House, Weather | Leave a Comment
The Tennessee Valley was blanketed with an average of one-half to one inch of snow during the early morning hours of Saturday, December 5, 2009. With ground temperatures still in the 40s [degF], the snow melted rather quickly.
Climatologically speaking, an average of 0.1″ of snow falls on Huntsville, Alabama each December. We received 9/16″ (0.5625″) this morning, so we’ve already received 562.5% of our monthly average! For the year, Huntsville average 2.7″ of snow.
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Tags: snow
Megan’s First Birthday
November 22, 2009 | Category: Family | Leave a Comment
Wow, how time flies. It seems like we brought Megan home from the hospital just yesterday and now we’re celebrating her first birthday! Mom, Dad, Tim, Grandma, Beth, and Matt drove in to spend the weekend with us. We were able to pack a lot in: a big Polish dinner, driving up to Fayetteville, TN for The Host of Christmas Past festival, and of course, throwing a party for Megan. Click below to view a collection of photos.
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