Professsor Houze helped design a special satellite to measure rainfall over the tropical regions of the atmosphere, where the largest amount of rain occurs in the world. The rain in the tropics releases the energy into the atmosphere that drives the global atmospheric circulation. This satellite monitors this energy release and is called the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Satellite. It is an international program of NASA and Japan's space agency. Professor Houze was on the international team that designed the satellite, which was launched in 1997 and is still in orbit. Professor Houze is still a member of the TRMM Science Team.