Main US Weather Satellite Fails As Hurricane Season Looms

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Main US Weather Satellite Fails As Hurricane Season Looms

Posted by timothy on Thursday May 23, 2013 @05:34AM from the ok-fellas-let's-just-stick-to-the-tornadoes dept.

First time accepted submitter Rebecka writes with bad news, quoting an IB Times report: "Just as the 2013 hurricane season is about to begin, one of the U.S.' main weather satellites failed this week. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, also known as GOES-13, reportedly ceased to operate as of Tuesday, making it impossible to predict weather patterns on the East Coast." A note at NOAA's page for the GOES family of satellites says "GOES-13 imaging and sounding operations suspended. Recovery efforts for GOES-13 continue and the spacecraft health and safety are nominal. GOES-14 is being activated." You can follow the progress on the agency's page of General Satellite Messages.

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They saw this coming for ages... by benjfowler · 2013-05-23 05:36 · Score: 3, Insightful

Unfortunately, because of Republican intransigence in Congress, they haven't been able to build and launch a new bird.
Everyone will now be screaming blue murder because of the huge negative economic impact this is going to have. Reliable weather prediction is critical for many businesses, including the ones responsible for the food supply.
I hope the wingnuts are happy.
1. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by Sparticus789 · 2013-05-23 05:45 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  And how many satellites could have been built with the $535 MILLION that the Obama Administration gave to Solyndra?
  
  --
  sudo make me a sandwich
2. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-23 05:50 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Unfortunately, because of Republican intransigence in Congress, they haven't been able to build and launch a new bird.
  Yeah, no. This is the Washington Monument gambit.
  "We need you to cut the fat, what can you cut to save money?"
  "OK, we choose to cut weather forecasting for the northeast, rather than our useless website or that $200 million supercomputer to beat out the EU (despite the EU supercomputer being less than half as powerful as our current system while still being more accurate)."
  It's just a ploy for more money. They could take money from other useless parts (like the website that the private sector has entirely covered, or the supercomputer upgrade that won't actually help), but instead, they're going to stop predicting hurricanes in an effort to get more money to waste.
  Nothing to do with Republicans, everything to do with government waste and greed.
3. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by Sparticus789 · 2013-05-23 05:50 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  From your own source:
  "In 2009, the Obama administration approved a $535 million loan guarantee that helped the company build a new factory in Fremont, Calif."
  Your attempt at spin away from blame is sad. Especially when the above statement is in the 4th paragraph.
  
  --
  sudo make me a sandwich
4. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-23 05:52 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Or the trillion-plus dollars they've spent on a war in Iraq for which absolutely none of the stated reasons turned out to be true.
5. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by h4rr4r · 2013-05-23 05:53 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  No spin, just that was not all the money they got.
  Personally both of those presidents have not been the greatest.
6. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by acoustix · 2013-05-23 05:54 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Unfortunately, because of Republican intransigence in Congress, they haven't been able to build and launch a new bird..
  Bullshit. The Dems had a supermajority of Congress in 2009 and 2010 and also held the office of the President. Why didn't they act then? Oh, I guess that doesn't fit your narrow-minded "republicans are evil and stupid" mindset.
  
  --
  "A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
7. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by Archangel+Michael · 2013-05-23 06:13 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Personally, both presidents are(were) awful. Both have eroded Liberties in such a way that short of tossing out both (D) and (R) congress critters and replacing them with (L) and (G) people, they (Liberties) won't come back any time soon. It seems like the American People love their nanny state, and being protected by the evil boogie men.
  
  --
  Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
8. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by Jah-Wren+Ryel · 2013-05-23 06:56 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  > It's just a ploy for more money. They could take money from other useless parts
  Your logic is the same as any conspiracy theorist - it can't be disproved. You'll always be able to pull up some government program that you personally don't think is worthwhile as "proof" that teh government is just holding people hostage for funding.
  While I am sure that within the tens of thousands of different budgets internal to the us federal government there is funny business going on, it is specious to claim that is what is going on every time something serious breaks. The government is just not that well organized.
  
  --
  When information is power, privacy is freedom.
9. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by ebno-10db · 2013-05-23 06:57 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  And how many satellites could have been built with the $535 MILLION that the Obama Administration gave to Solyndra?
  I'm not sure, but you could have built at least 7000x as many satellites for the cost of the Iraq War. Bonus points for a lot fewer Americans killed.
10. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by R3d+M3rcury · 2013-05-23 07:02 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  They could take money from other useless parts (like the website that the private sector has entirely covered
  Uh, where do you think "the private sector" is getting their data from?
11. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by cayenne8 · 2013-05-23 07:19 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Aww. $500 million. Just imagine how many satellites could have been built from a fraction of the military budget.
  Or, even by cutting off welfare for people that ARE able bodied and can work. Or by cutting the waste from Medicare and SS, which are about the other 2/3 of the main budget chunks along with military.
  You know, if we shrunk the Federal Govt back down to more resemble what it is Constitutionally mandated to do, we could easily afford a lot more stuff.
  Hell, why don't we quit sending so much fucking money out for Foreign Aid, and spend it on satellites? Who objects to that one?
  
  --
  Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
12. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by Lumpy · 2013-05-23 07:32 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  "Or, even by cutting off welfare for people that ARE able bodied and can work. "
  Ageed, When do we start cutting the pay to Congress?
  
  --
  Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
13. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by pixelpusher220 · 2013-05-23 07:32 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  We're actually going to be quite short of weather sats in the next decade or so. That we had a backup this time is nice, but hardly indicative that everything is going well.
  
  --
  People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people :-D
14. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by Jewfro_Macabbi · 2013-05-23 08:25 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  I'm interested in this "welfare" you speak of. Although I guess I wouldn't qualify since I'm not able bodied. Love it when people blame budget problems on the sick and elderly.
15. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · 2013-05-23 08:54 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Unfortunately, because of Republican intransigence in Congress, they haven't been able to build and launch a new bird.
  A leftist screed is modded up at Slashdot? WTH.
  Let's test. "If it was so damned important, they should have cut something else instead to pay for it."
  (High pitched whine starts, rising in volume until skulls threaten to start crackiing). -1 SHUT UP! -1 I Disagree! -1 Threatens my settled worldview11!
  
  --
  (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
16. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by sopwath · 2013-05-23 10:13 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Are you a wizard?
  How do you know the physical and mental condition of "them" simply by driving by? What type of education do "they" have?
  You mention "them" having different fathers, have you done genetic testing on "them"?
  I have a strong suspicion that you don't actually know any of the information above and are simply stereotyping, falling into the same type of ignorance, bigotry, and hatred that continues to keep "them" from having the same opportunities you've had. I also suspect that you've never had to live on welfare, never had to make the types of choices people in the projects make, never had to go through the failing education system of the inner-city and so you cannot fathom how "they" live, how "they" make the choices they make.
17. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by ChrisMaple · 2013-05-23 13:22 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Having liberties not violated requires more than the laws being in place, it requires that the government live by them. Haven't been paying much attention to the news lately, have you? (IRS, Benghazi) Hey Obama, do you know what the penalty for treason is?
  
  --
  Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
18. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by WGFCrafty · 2013-05-23 16:31 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Having liberties not violated requires more than the laws being in place, it requires that the government live by them. Haven't been paying much attention to the news lately, have you? (IRS, Benghazi) Hey Obama, do you know what the penalty for treason is?
  
  Having liberties not violated requires more than the laws being in place, it requires that the government live by them. Haven't been paying much attention to the news lately, have you? (IRS, Benghazi) Hey Obama, do you know what the penalty for treason is?
  It's funny you throw out benghazi, the current fox witch hunt, and nnot the more alarming development, the AP's two month subpoena.
  Also, I don't think you know what treason is, or you're just dumb enough to think that the government playing with peoples taxes (remember, there is NO evidence of a cover-up..... yet) justifies the execution of our commander in chief.
  You're the kind of cynical asshole that instead of offering constructive ways of fixing things runs around pontificating about how fucked we are. Grow up, even with every scandal going on x5, people would still be clamoring at our front door for entry to our country.
19. Re:They saw this coming for ages... by azav · 2013-05-24 03:18 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Bush and Cheney lied us into a war while not protecting US "within the borders" interests. We (Bush) borrowed more money than ALL OTHER PRESIDENTS COMBINED BEFORE HIM to invade Afghanistan and Iraq.
  Iraq had NOTHING to do with 9/11.
  Our country's infrastructure needs to be maintained and updated, research projects need to be funded, basic "running of the country" has to happen. Instead we borrowed over a trillion dollars to invade a country that has nothing to do with hurting us, while ignoring the requirements of funding our country's maintenance and having a financial buffer to protect from any financial calamities.
  And we had Katrina, the stock market collapse, the real estate collapse, the tech bubble bursting.
  Our National Guard had equipment and personnel diverted to serve OVERSEAS. They exist for exact circumstances like Katrina.
  It's criminal. Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Dick Army, Alberto Gonzales, Rove, Bolten, Libby, John Yoo + a few more should be all be tried for treason. What took place and what Bush was largely responsible for putting in to action was a grand dereliction of duty, massive incompetence and misappropriation of power and authority to the nation and the American people.
  
  --
  - Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...
Re:Jokes by the+eric+conspiracy · 2013-05-23 06:29 · Score: 4, Insightful

Were you even alive before weather satellites? I remember what it was like 40 years ago, and the accuracy of prediction is now far superior to what it used to be.
The prediction of storm tracks in particular has gotten to be really good. For example the Sandy track prediction was excellent despite the complexity of the situation.