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BRUCE BUCKINGHAM: From 22,000 miles up, GOES satellites have a sky-high view of the weather below. Here is a unique look at how GOES sees the Earth and tracks storms as they flow across the planet. GEORGE DILLER: High in the sky, GOES satellites use the perspective from space to keep an eye on Earth's weather. GOES stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, and are weather spacecraft that monitor weather over the Earth's western hemisphere. Three, two, one, zero, we have ignition start, and liftoff. The GOES series of spacecraft began launching into orbit in October 1975. Over the course of 30 years, 10 more GOES satellites have taken their turn standing guard, continually watching the skies below. From 22,000 miles up, the weather sentinels peer into the atmosphere, tracking emerging storms, season after season. The information they gather helps to provide the weather forecasts we rely on year-round to safely live, work and play. During winter, GOES spacecraft follow weather systems such as the snowshowers that blanket the Great Lakes. In the mountain states, the satellites assist with snowy forecasts for events like the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah. The onset of summer brings about soaking rainstorms and fierce hurricanes. GOES spacecraft use a rapid-scan mode to track the minute-by-minute growth of thunderstorms, like this cluster blooming over Florida. Maintaining a constant alert over the Atlantic Ocean, the satellites also keep a lookout for hurricanes swirling off the west coast of Africa. After a hurricane forms, special instruments of GOES can detail a storm's structure and wind characteristics. GOES satellites also monitor other significant atmospheric events. From space, the satellites can track forest fires like this one in Mexico, as the smoke plume rises into the atmosphere into Texas and Oklahoma. GOES can detect volcanic eruptions, as well. Zooming in on the Caribbean, GOES observed this eruption on the island of Montserrat. The images transmitted from GOES satellites are the very same ones shown during nightly television newscasts. In addition to being seen on TV, GOES photos are often featured on covers of major magazines like Newsweek, Science and National Geographic. Like billowing clouds and waving windsocks, GOES satellites provide telltale signs for accurate weather forecasting. They're our eyes in the sky, keeping us ahead of the storm.