| Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) is a large, complex mission that will require the efforts of an international team to attain its goals. In addition to those working directly on the mission, there are numerous interested GPM stakeholders who need to be informed about mission events. As with any large venture, effective communication among participating organizations and individuals is crucial to GPM’s success. The purpose of this newsletter is to facilitate the exchange of information among GPM stakeholders—to communicate GPM’s progress, to familiarize the GPM team with the various facets of this complicated mission, and to present information about topics of general interest. In this first issue you will find several informative articles about GPM partnerships, events, and technical and science issues. In the section on International Cooperative Efforts, for example, there are articles on potential partnerships with the European Space Agency, and the nations of Japan and Canada. Interesting articles about recent GPM meetings and reviews are found in the Progress section, while the Science section contains a piece defining precipitation—the very substance GPM will investigate. In Spacecraft News, read about two matters concerning the Core Spacecraft: a trade study that will affect its data bus system, and the plans for what will happen at the end of the spacecraft’s life. Finally, learn about some of the people contributing to GPM in the Science section’s “Who is Involved?” feature, which includes biographies of both the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Japanese scientific leads. We welcome your suggestions regarding The GPM Monitor. Please feel free to contact Editor Lena Braatz (braatz_lena@bah.com or 304-456-5158) if you have comments about the newsletter or ideas for future articles. Jim Adams GPM Project Formulation Manager
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