NASA WANTS A COST-EFFECTIVE ATMOSPHERIC REMOTE SENSING SYSTEM PROVIDING ACCURATE TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY PROFILES TO LEAST 10 KM HEIGHT IN CLEAR AND CLOUDY CONDITIONS. RADIOMETRICS MICROWAVE PROFILER (MP) PRODUCTS CURRENTLY PROVIDE ACCURATE TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY PROFILES IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH RADIOSONDES TO 3 KM HEIGHT. GOOD AGREEMENT CAN BE EXTENDED BEYOND 10 KM HEIGHT USING VARIATIONAL RETRIEVAL METHODS THAT COMBINE RADIOMETER AND MODEL GRIDDED ANALYSIS. PRESSURE PROFILES DERIVED FROM MP VARIATIONAL RETRIEVALS AND FROM RADIOSONDE OBSERVATIONS SHOW GOOD AGREEMENT TO 10 KM HEIGHT. WE PROPOSE TO ADDRESS THIS NASA REMOTE SENSING NEED BY DEVELOPING A ROBUST, AUTOMATED VARIATIONAL RETRIEVAL SYSTEM PROVIDING RADIOSONDE-EQUIVALENT TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY AND PRESSURE PROFILES TO 20 KM HEIGHT AT 150 M HEIGHT INTERVALS. NASA ALSO WANTS TO IMPROVE LIGHTNING RISK IDENTIFICATION DURING CLOUDY CONDITIONS. CURRENT RADIOMETRICS MP PRODUCTS MEASURE LIQUID WATER PATH (LWP), AN IMPORTANT PARAMETER FOR NATURAL AND TRIGGERED LIGHTNING RISK LAUNCH COMMIT CRITERIA (LCC). WE PROPOSE TO ADDRESS THIS NEED BY DEVELOPING A ROBUST, AUTOMATED LIGHTNING RISK IDENTIFICATION ALGORITHM USING MP LWP DATA AND STABILITY INDICES DERIVED FROM MP VARIATIONAL RETRIEVALS. IN ADDITION, WE PROPOSE TO AUTOMATE DEMONSTRATED CAPABILITY FOR LIGHTNING RISK IDENTIFICATION MORE THAN TWO HOURS IN ADVANCE OF TRADITIONAL METHODS BASED ON ELECTRIC FIELD MEASUREMENTS BASED ON STABILITY INDICES DERIVED FROM MP OBSERVATIONS.