THE LIGHTNING ADVISORY PANEL (LAP) DEFINES THE LIGHTNING LAUNCH COMMIT CRITERIA (LLCC) AND ASSOCIATED RATIONALE TO TRY TO ASSURE REDUCED RISK TO LAUNCH VEHICLES BY TRIGGERED LIGHTNING OR INTERCEPTING NATURAL LIGHTNING. THE LLCC SUPPORT NASA DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) AND FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) LAUNCHES IN THE UNITED STATES TO ASSURE SAFETY AND TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT POSSIBLE PROVIDE LAUNCH AVAILABILITY. THE LAP ARE WORLD-RECOGNIZED EXPERTS IN ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY AND OTHER FIELDS (I.E. LIGHTNING PHYSICS RADAR METEOROLOGY CLOUD PHYSICS AND STATISTICS).