A replacement weather Doppler radar has been installed on top of this tower in a remote field located west of NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

A replacement weather Doppler radar has been installed on top of this tower in a remote field located west of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The radome houses the rotating antenna and pedestal and protects them from the elements. The tower is 100 feet high; the radome is 22 feet in diameter, the antenna 14 feet in diameter. It rotates at 6 rpm. The structure can withstand 130 mph winds. It is undergoing initial testing and expected to become operational in the summer. The weather radar is essential in issuing lightning and other severe weather warnings and vital in evaluating lightning launch commit criteria for space shuttle and rocket launches. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder