NASA launches mission led by MIRSL alum

Congratulations to NASA and especially to MIRSL alum Chris Ruf, the Principal Investigator of the recently launched Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS).  CYGNSS is a constellation of 8 microsatellites that will measure reflected signals from the ocean surface from GPS and other satellite navigation systems.  The reflected signals are used to determine wind speed and direction to aid in global weather forecasting and, in particular, for hurricanes.  The use of 8 satellites instead of one means much more frequent observations of hurricane winds than is currently possible from space.  CYGNSS was successfully launched from a Pegasus rocket on Dec 15. 

Chris Ruf earned his PhD at MIRSL in 1987.  He is now a Professor of Atmospheric Science and Electrical Engineering at the University of Michigan.