The Mapping of Aerospace Meteorology in the Brazilian Space Program: Challenges and Opportunities for Rocket Launch

Authors

  • Amaury Caruzzo ITA - PhD Student
  • Mischel Carmen Neyra Belderrain ITA - Divisão de Engenharia Mecânica-Aeronáutica, Depto de Gestão e Apoio à Decisão Praça Marechal Gomes, 50 Vila das Acácias, São José dos Campos, SP 12228-900 BRASIL
  • Gilberto Fisch Instituto de Aeronáutica e Espaço, Divisão de Ciências Atmosféricas. Praça Marechal Eduardo Gomes, 50 Vila das Acácias 12228-904 - Sao Jose dos Campos, SP - Brasil
  • Daniel Ferreira Manso

Keywords:

Spacecraft launching, Decision making, Operational problems, Group behavior, Mapping, Strategy.

Abstract

The meteorological and oceanographic conditions are crucial for the successful launch of aerospace vehicles. However, the decision-making process using environmental information is a complex problem, since it depends on a constant review of current and future weather conditions. To understand this process in the Brazilian Space Program (BSP) context, this paper aims to be the first attempt to map out the systemic view of applied meteorology for the launch missions of aerospace vehicles. Various Brazilian stakeholders were interviewed and their perspectives were analyzed by using a problem structuring method known as Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA). With this approach, it was possible to identify different concepts in each group of respondents regarding the current situation of Aerospace Meteorology. One particularly relevant result was identified: weather forecast is not merely a tool to be used to modify the chronology of a mission and to fully provide support in decision-making during the rocket launches in Brazil. Furthermore, the paper shows that the Aerospace Meteorology needs to improve technical processes and to develop a weather decision support system with decisionmakers’ preferences regarding the uncertainty in weather forecasts. SODA has shown to be a support tool to understand the real situation of meteorology for the launch of aerospace vehicles and appropriate to aid in future planning in the BSP.

Author Biographies

Amaury Caruzzo, ITA - PhD Student

Amaury Caruzzo is a Meteorologist and PhD Student in Aeronautical & Mechanical Engineering at the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA) in Brazil; Reserve-officer in the Brazilian Navy; and Research Fellow at the Brazilian Institute of Aeronautics and Space. Primary area of investigation is in Meteorological Application and Operational Research with an emphasis on Decision Analysis and Aerospace Meteorology, primarily in the following areas: quantitative methods, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), and Problem Structuring Methods (PSM).

Mischel Carmen Neyra Belderrain, ITA - Divisão de Engenharia Mecânica-Aeronáutica, Depto de Gestão e Apoio à Decisão Praça Marechal Gomes, 50 Vila das Acácias, São José dos Campos, SP 12228-900 BRASIL

Prof Belderrain is bachelor in Operations Research, from Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos;  Master in Computer Science – Optimization, from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro;  and Ph.D. in Operations Research from Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA). Her research interests include the following subjects:  Multi-criteria Decision Making Methods, Problem Structuring Methods (PSM) and OR Education.

Gilberto Fisch, Instituto de Aeronáutica e Espaço, Divisão de Ciências Atmosféricas. Praça Marechal Eduardo Gomes, 50 Vila das Acácias 12228-904 - Sao Jose dos Campos, SP - Brasil

Dr Fisch is a Senior Scientist at Institute of Aeronautics and Space (IAE) - Division of Atmospheric Sciences (ACA). He is bachelor in Meteorology, Master of Science, from University of São Paulo (USP), and PhD in Meteorology from National Institute for Space Research (INPE). His research interests include the following subjects: Aerospace Meteorology, Micro-meteorology, Climate Change and Meteorological Applications.

Daniel Ferreira Manso

Daniel Manso is a Major in the Brazilian Air Force. He earned a Bachelor in Aeronautics Science at the Brazilian Air Force Academy (AFA) and a Master's degree in Operations Research from the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA). His research interest is in the area of Problem Structuring Methods (PSM), Design of Experiments, and Simulation Optimization applied to military problems.

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Published

2015-02-22

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2015): JAN/MAR

Section

Original Papers

License

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