Weather has had a profound impact on launch, powered flight to orbit, and re-entry/recovery of many flights in the United States Manned Spaceflight Program. From the simplest launch delay due to cloudy skies, to the expensive scrubbing of flights, to the near-catastrophic lightning strike on Apollo 12, to the extreme cold that doomed the Space Shuttle Challenger, weather has played an important role in almost every mission.

This poster presentation will summarize those missions that have been adversely affected by weather. The Apollo 11 recovery (landing zone changed to avoid severe weather), the Apollo 12 launch (struck twice by lightning) and the Challenger disaster (cold-weather damage to O-ring seals) will be highlighted, as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) response to those incidents. The poster will also show how NASA’s Spaceflight Meteorology Group prepares for upcoming launches and handles weather concerns during flight and recovery.

As part of the poster, I will also draw on my own experience as a NASA Adult Space Academy participant to show how weather concerns are addressed during Space Shuttle missions.