The GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) system is the cornerstone of NOAA’s weather forecasting and severe storm tracking activities. The system consists of a pair of spacecraft in geostationary orbit 22,236 miles above Earth’s surface that continuously take weather imagery and soundings. The data GOES provides helps in severe storm evaluation, ocean current monitoring, weather mapping, and detection of atmospheric phenomena such as fog, snow and solar activity.

The first GOES spacecraft, GOES-8, was built by Space Systems/Loral with sensors supplied by ITT Aerospace/Communication Division and launched in 1994. This was followed by GOES-9, -10, -11 and -12. These second generation GOES satellites were designed to operate for three years, while GOES-11 and -12 are expected to continue operation beyond their original lifespan.

Each GOES spacecraft contains an Imager and a Sounder instrument. The Imagers capture visible and infrared radiation reflected off the clouds, surface and water vapor. The Sounder instrument records the vertical temperature and moisture profile of the atmosphere.

GOES is the only NOAA weather satellite program that records and distributes real-time data in color, day or night, to support local meteorological operations. NOAA policy calls for two GOES satellites to be operational at one time, with each providing continuous coverage of a specific geographic area.

For example, GOES-11 and -12 operate in tandem to cover the entire Western Hemisphere. GOES-11 covers the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean basins, while GOES-12 monitors North America, Central America and South America. The GOES-11 and -12 satellites are designed to track the Earth’s rotation and keep a fixed position over their respective geographic areas, maintaining constant observational coverage.

Because the GOES satellites are in geostationary orbit, they continuously observe Earth, day and night, at the same location over the planet. This enables the satellites to provide high resolution imagery of the same geographic region at a time.

The GOES Imagers record images of the Western Hemisphere in visible and infrared light, with additional channels that sense other electromagnetic radiation such as radio waves, microwaves and radar signals. In addition, the Sounder instruments on each satellite collect data for vertical thermal and water vapor structure of the atmosphere, atmospheric motion and surface temperature and humidity.

Go has long been popular in China, and probably made its way to the United States with Chinese workers on the transcontinental railroad in the early 1900s. But it did not become well-known in the West until the 1920s, when the American Go Association was founded. It soon began sponsoring tournaments, and newspapers ran columns and analysis of the game. Since then, the sport has grown in popularity. The American Go Association now has over 2000 members and more than 100 chapters across the country. There are also international professional competitions such as the Japan-China Super Go Series, and the World Amateur Championships. The top players are often considered celebrities in their own countries.