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Air Force Space Fence Being Shut Down
New submitter meglon writes "NASA will lose access to important real-time information on tracking orbital debris if the order of Gen. William Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, is carried out. The Space Fence, the only monitoring system of its kind, will cease to function on October 1st. 'Deployed in the 1960s, the VHF Space Fence includes three transmitter sites and six receiving stations. It is responsible for approximately 40 percent of all observations performed by the Air Force-run Space Surveillance Network, which includes other ground-and space-based sensor assets, said Brian Weeden, technical adviser at the Secure World Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to space sustainability. ... A full-scale development contract for an updated version of the Space Fence had been expected in 2012 or early 2013, but on July 16, Shelton said the multibillion-dollar project is being held up due to a wide-ranging Pentagon review that includes major acquisition programs. The review is examining scenarios under which the Pentagon’s budget is cut by $150 billion, $250 billion and $500 billion during the next decade.'"
Turn it into a space fence to keep out illegal aliens.
I deny that I have not avoided attaining the opposite of that which I do not want.
You'd think that Republicans would be big proponents of the space fence. We need something to keep illegal aliens out.
No, it isn't important because it can't be used to spy on Americans. If it could, then it's budget would be secret. Instead we have this cut by short sighted budget concerns.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
It has been replaced by a newer, more secret and much more expensive system that also functions as an interstellar surveillance system.
Just transfer all the money cut from the DOD to NASA. Then they can run it themselves! Genius, yes?
No.
The space junk which has slowly been taking on sentience, not unlike Hactar, will complain mightily in internet forums, where it'll largely be ignored (see earlier link.
It'll all end up with songs which could make Paul McCartney so rich he could buy the galaxy and several short, but very violent cricket match invasions.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
The esteemed Gen. Shelton is playing politics. This is a standard trick. Whenever someone threatens or enacts budget cuts, politicians (and you don't get to be a general without being a politician) start shutting down things which may cost very little, but are highly noticeable or annoying. Obviously this demonstrates how catastrophic it would be to have your budget cut.
This is exactly the sort of thing government is for. It's not like I can set up a radar transmitter in my back yard and sell the data on the open market. I'm not allowed to use that spectrum, and it's blindingly obvious that if I were, so would everybody else, and the spectrum would rapidly become useless to everybody.
What's the alternative? Sell it to SpaceX? Then make NASA buy access to the data? And Lockheed. And Boeing. And Raytheon. And Virgin Galactic. And Blue Origin.
But we all know it wouldn't go that way. Lockheed or Boeing would lobby successfully to get to buy it, then charge everybody else on the list for access to the data. And refuse to sell data to SpaceX at all.
Three transmitters and six receivers costing billions is more than a little absurd, but the job does need doing, and needs doing in a fashion that doesn't set up a wholly inappropriate profit motive and an even more inappropriate opportunity to be anti-competitive. Having said that... Who runs those stations now? Wanna bet it's already Lockheed or Boeing or Raytheon? That'd be why it costs billions instead of the tens of millions it should cost. The wholly inappropriate cost-plus contract with profit motive is already in place. Now all we need is the anti-competitiveness to go with it.
Turn it into a space fence to keep out illegal aliens.
Aliens are what keep the economy of Area 51 rock solid and giving it 10% quarter on quarter growth!
at least, that's what they tell me to type
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Having worked for both DOD and NASA, I can tell you with certainty that NASA is even worse of a cluster fuck moneywise than DOD.
I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
Oh, come on, this is nothing more that budget bartering via press release, to which NASA is not immune. Given the spectacular nature of some recent meteors in the mass media, the general will get his new space fence. He's just trying to panic the politicians into action by setting a hard date.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
Remember what happened to it: instead of upgrading it to provide near-GNSS accuracy, they killed it, eliminating the only terrestrial nav/pos system outside of major airports and air traffic lanes. If we have another Carrington-size solar event or someone decides to deploy their satellite-killer missles/satellites/sharks-with-lasers/whatever, WE HAVE NO SAFETY NET for nav/pos as well as network synchronization!
They've already proven once they're willing to sacrifice the country's safety against outside forces (while simultaneously building up their off-, er, defensive capabilities against their own citizenry), so what makes you think they won't do it again?
Grow up. If we don't budget for inflation, things are going to suck even more when we get halfway through the fiscal year and realize we don't have the money to get make it to the end. This has nothing to with being a Republican or Democrat and everything with actually trying to plan a project and deliver something to the taxpayer. I realize most households don't have to worry about this on a yearly basis, but both government and big business must if they don't want to fail.
Now if you want to discuss whether it's in our long term national interest to print so much money that year-to-year inflationary growth is something we have to monitor in our budget process, fine. Or if you have thoughts on how to responsibly reduce government services without gutting either our social welfare or military programs (or both), please share. We need some good ideas, 'cause those idiots up on the Hill seem stumped. But just because you don't like inflation doesn't mean you can live in a fantasy land where it doesn't exist.
I'm glad you monitor it. But that reveals it's true nature: not a fence, but a "webcam". Anything we see on it, that will affect a large number of people, we have little to no options. Calling it a fence is a feel-good tactic, implying it will keep the space debris, UFOs, and illegal green aliens out. It, on it's own, just lets us know when something is coming to our door. The big fear that would have many people clamoring to keep it, a large asteroid heading for earth, has no viable plans ready to go. A warning from the space fence, a dire warning of imminent strike, would only incite panic.
Or if you have thoughts on how to responsibly reduce government services without gutting either our social welfare or military programs (or both), please share.
Well, I have thoughts on responsibly reducing governments services which require as a precondition some gutting of both social welfare and military programs.