all 13 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 53 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Christ, I read Satellites as Scientists, and ..didn't question it at all.

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 50 points 1 year ago* (3 children)

    Calling it now. They'll scuttle these satellites, and the next day SpaceX will unveil a plan for their own, private weather satellite network that the US government will suddenly have money to pay up for. But it won't ever be accessible to plebs...

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 24 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Conservatives ruin everything.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Doomsday Cult disables satellites to reduce forewarning of hurricanes

    Unexpected results at 12

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago

    Don't Look Up

  • source
  • 6 comments in c/usa@midwest.social view that post
    [–] 8 points 1 year ago

    If we can't see it it doesn't exist!!

  • source
  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    I read this article does a really bad summarization to me as someone who has not been tracking these satellites. I had to go look at the wiki for the OCO's. Turns out that OCO-2 & OCO-3 are in orbit and operating.

    So as I understand this, Trump is not killing the launch of new Sat, but cutting off data collection on existing Sat launches. Further the reason these two SATs are so important is that although there are other Carbon Observers, they don't have the resolution these two do.

    Overall, it's an entire waste of money to have built and spent something over a billion dollars, just to cut off the data that Oil companies don't want. (Or at least that's the perception.)

    The article could have done a better job bottom lining this.

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)

    Satellites don’t just hang out in orbit, they need frequent adjustments or they’ll crash into the earth. So they’re not just turning them off and we can turn them back on later. Although as I understand it, one can be linked to the ISS in a nonfunctional state to be used later. But if they get turned off, at minimum one is crashing and burning.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Absolutely, having worked in remote existence I'm well aware of how much support and maintenance it takes to keep up equipment and collect the data.

    The article wasn't clear that Trump was trying to cut the collection & analysis from the headline and several paragraphs in. Initial impression were that we had more orbiters in line for launch that were being scrapped half built... Also tragic, but having working orbiters makes budget inertia slightly more likely to win against a cut.

    Several budget cuts have been overturned by lawsuit and although they take months, the orbiters can probably be left in a reduced budget or even maybe limbo for that period while still being recoverable (IMO).

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • 2 comments in c/nottheonion@lemmy.world view that post
    [–] 19 points 1 year ago

    This so neatly sums up the blithering insanity of the right - if the data counters their preferred view and cannot be discredited, then they have no choice but to.... hide the data.

  • source