During the early and mid-1960s, many of the field measurements recorded by the GHRC Lightning Team were used to verify that optical signals produced during a lightning discharge are powerful enough to be viewed from space. These measurements led to the design and deployment of the Optical Transient Detector (OTD) and the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS). From the late 1960s, many instruments have been used to provide airborne- and ground-based measurements of lightning activity to support field campaigns, which were designed to investigate storm convection and precipitation in various climatological regimes. The GHRC’s involvement in field programs includes the validation of data obtained by space- based lightning detection instruments, such as OTD and LIS.