LOSS OF IMPORTANT SEC SERVICE

On April 3, 2006, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)issued a press release announcing a call for public comment on the value of continuing real-time solar wind data, and products derived from such data, provided by the Space Environment Center. This is your opportunity to comment on the value of this service. The comment period starts on April 3 and continues for 45 days through May 18. Public comments will be incorporated into future plans to best meet the needs of the users.

If you wish more background information, go to the special National Weather Service (NWS) web site http://www.weather.gov/os/space/

If you wish to express your opinion on this directly, send an email to solar.wind.comments@noaa.gov

Please redistribute this notice to other customers you may know who are also potentially affected. This is a one-time opportunity to provide your input on this matter.

Brief Background:

Currently there is no plan to replace NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellite when it or the monitoring instruments ultimately fail. ACE is now the only source of real-time solar wind data.

During the next 6 weeks, you can let the NWS know of the importance of solar wind data and products. You may wish to comment on:

-- The value of real-time solar wind data and the products that use it

(alerts, warnings, forecasts, models)

-- The economic consequences to your business, or negative impact on your

activities, if real-time solar wind data are unavailable

-- The need for follow-on solar wind monitoring once ACE fails

Please send an email to solar.wind.comments@noaa.gov or contact:

NWS Contacts: Beth McNulty or Dorothy Haldeman

Mail:

National Weather Service

Office of Climate, Water and Weather Services Aviation Services Branch

1325 East-West Highway, SSMC2

Silver Spring, MD 20910

Phone: 301-713-1726 x116 or 301-713-1726 x130