History and Future Challenges in Aerospace Meteorology (Invited Presentation)

Aerospace meteorology is defined as the application of atmospheric science to the design, development, and operation of aerospace launch vehicles as well as spacecraft. Over the past 25 years, the field of aerospace meteorology has undergone an evolution from improved in-situ and remote sensing technologies for both terrestrial and space environments as well as frequency of data availability. Additionally, signal-processing algorithm developments and filtering techniques have improved accuracy of high spatial and temporal resolution tropospheric wind measurements and determination of spectral boundary between slowly and rapidly varying wind features in the mid-troposphere. The continued growth in the aerospace launch industry has introduced additional challenges in the areas of terrestrial, space, and planetary weather. These challenges that the aerospace meteorology community will need to address in the future will be discussed.