Weather forecasters may one day have the additional tools needed to provide life-saving advance warnings of where and when lightning might strike, according to results of recent NASA research.

Those results, to be presented tomorrow at the American Meteorological Society Conference in Long Beach, Calif., indicate a space based observation system could provide some crucial added capability to predict lightning, thunderstorms and other severe weather conditions well before they occur.

Live and taped satellite interviews are available Wednesday, Feb. 5, with NASA researcher Dr. Tim Miller who can talk about the results of this research and its exciting potential to enhance quality of life on Earth. The booking times are from 6 - 9:30 a.m. CST. B-roll will also be available via satellite.

To request an interview or further information, please contact Connie James at (205) 544-3234. Interviews will be conducted on C-band, Spacenet 2, Transponder 5, Channel 9 at 69 degrees west longitude. The Transponder frequency is 3880 MHz and the audio subcarrier is 6.8 Mhz.