Geostationary GPS Satellite Galaxy 15 Out of Control

Bruce Perens writes "The Galaxy 15 commercial satellite has not responded to commands since solar flares fried its CPU in April, and it won't turn off. Intelsat controllers moved all commercial payloads to other birds except for WAAS, a system that adds accuracy to GPS for landing aircraft and finding wayward geocaches. Since the satellite runs in 'bent pipe' mode, amplifying wide bands of RF that are beamed up to it, it is likely to interfere with other satellites as it crosses their orbital slots on its way to an earth-sun Lagrange point, the natural final destination of a geostationary satellite without maneuvering power." (More below.) Bruce continues: "The only payload that is still deliberately active on the satellite is its WAAS repeater. An attempt to overload the satellite and shut it down on May 3 caused a Notice to Airmen regarding the unavailability of WAAS for an hour. Unsaid is what will happen to WAAS, and for how long, when the satellite eventually loses its sun-pointing capability, expected later this year, and stops repeating the GPS correction signal. Other satellites can be moved into Galaxy 15's orbital slot, but it is yet unannounced whether the candidates bear the WAAS payload."

Comments

Re:Where'd my cable channels go?

[shoehornjob]

Nope. They are slowly migrating all the old analog channels to a hi-def signal (FCC mandate). That's why most people who plug the cable into the back of the tv can't get a signal anymore. Call 1-800-comcast as you may be able to get an adapter box to compensate for this.

Re:The only way

[Anonymous Coward]

Given man's exodus from Africa and spread across the face of the Earth, I'd go so far as to suggest that "niggers" are your forebears. In that case

... in that case, they are a primitive throwback and white people that came later are more highly evolved! It is nice of you to admit that it saves us lots of time. It neatly explains why it was the white man who invented and created and discovered and produced technology and sailed the world to discover the black man and not the other way around. Thanks for making my point for me it is so nice when people are helpful especially when they try to be spiteful.

Re:The only way

[Anonymous Coward]

appearing much earlier in history == less evolved, more primitive

no line of descent required

inventing no real technology despite having been around thousands of years longer == less evolved, more primitive

again if black people in Africa have been on earth longer, and if all races are equal, then why didn't black people invent science and technology first? why wasn't it primitive tribal whites who were discovered by technological blacks capable of sailing across the globe? given equal capabilities the race that has been on earth the longest of them all should have had all that time to invent and discover more than any other race. yet they didn't even invent the fucking wheel. the wheel!

it makes sense too. bacteria have been on earth a good god damned long time, many many millions of years before man appeared. bacteria dont seem to use tools or make technology. in terms of evolutionary time the upstart mankind has performed all sorts of feats totally out of the reach of any life that was here before. why do you act surprised if it is no different with blacks that were here first and whites that appeared later?

no wonder you have to talk about how people who aren't here right now might read Darwin. apparently you refer to the big deal some religious people made about the idea of men being directly descended from apes. i guess you gotta bring up shit like that that's irrelevant but sounds related since its obvious you cant answer the real question. pussy.

Re:Target practice?

[ooshna]

Oh two points without any info provided plus you were a douchebag bravo.

Re:Target practice?

[bluefoxlucid]

lol tar baby...

So you're proposing a giant space katamari, wrapped thinly in another Slashdot nigger joke? I think you just won the internet.