The board game go has a long and rich history. Known as weiqi in China, the game was among Confucius’s Four Accomplishments and had a wide following through the imperial period. During the Tokugawa period (1603-1867), it was given special status in Japan. The four strongest players received stipends and established schools to foster competition. This led to a ranking system in which a player could become a meijin (expert) by out-classing his or her contemporaries. Go became popular worldwide after World War II.

The geosynchronous equatorial satellites of NOAA’s GOES system provide continuous imagery and data on atmospheric conditions and solar activity (space weather). Since the launch of SMS-1 in 1974, GOES has provided critical information to support National Weather Service forecasting operations, severe storm tracking, and meteorology research.

GOES provides key information on critical atmospheric, oceanic, and climatic phenomena that directly impact public safety, protection of property, and the nation’s economic health and prosperity. NOAA scientists use GOES data to improve weather prediction models and to monitor global climate changes.

GOES’ unique geometry allows it to continuously view Earth’s western hemisphere and adjacent waters, making it an indispensable tool for monitoring severe weather events such as hurricanes and tornadoes. The GOES system is also vital in detecting ash plumes from volcanoes. GOES’ ability to image the atmosphere on much shorter time scales improves aviation safety by monitoring conditions in areas where observations are difficult.

During the development of the new GOES-R series, scientists focused on building an advanced imaging sensor to allow for more detailed observations. The GOES-R Series spacecraft will be equipped with an Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), which will scan the Earth every 10 minutes and capture imagery of two mesoscale locations at the same time. This capability will allow NOAA National Weather Service forecast offices, National Weather Centers, and volcanic ash advisory centers to more rapidly detect and track environmental phenomena.

ABI will feature five times more spectral bands and higher resolution than previous GOES systems, greatly improving observations of Earth’s atmospheric conditions. It will also host a suite of instruments to improve detection of space weather hazards such as radiation damage to communications and navigation satellites and power grids on Earth. The new GOES-R Series will also be able to provide more timely images of the sun’s surface in response to flares and other solar activities. These improvements will significantly improve NOAA’s capacity to protect the nation from the effects of space weather. GOES-R series is scheduled to be launched between 2018 and 2022. The procurement, design, and manufacturing of the GOES-R series is overseen by NASA and NOAA. NOAA is the official provider of GOES terrestrial and space weather data, which can be accessed through SPEDAS.