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GPM Satellite To Usher In a New Era of Weather Observation

Posted by Soulskill on from the more-climate-data-to-argue-about dept.

Zothecula writes: "A new satellite designed to take detailed, near real-time measurements of rain and snowfall on a global scale whilst mapping the interior of storm systems is set to launch. The Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory has been in development since 2005 and is a collaboration project between NASA and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA). The satellite is due to be launched on the Japanese manufactured H-IIA delivery vehicle from the Tanegashima Space Centre, Tanegashima Island, Japan, on February 27."

10 of 31 comments (clear)

  1. Progress by TWX · · Score: 3, Funny

    I guess that we've come a long way from the weather rock...

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    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    1. Re:Progress by RiscIt · · Score: 2

      Perhaps, but with the right launching apparatus that rock could kick this satellites ass.

    2. Re:Progress by TWX · · Score: 2

      That begs the question, would an otherwise natural rock launched into orbit be considered a natural satellite or an artificial satellite?

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  2. Weather? by Kenja · · Score: 3, Funny

    Living on the west coast, I just assumed we had gotten rid of that stuff.

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    "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    1. Re:Weather? by sexconker · · Score: 2

      Living on the west coast, I just assumed we had gotten rid of that stuff.

      West coast best coast as usual. We have infinite sunshine AND In N Out.

    2. Re:Weather? by DerekLyons · · Score: 2

      What I said is still true.

      Only in the mind of a Southern Californian, they're like Manhattanites in their narrow view of the world.

  3. Remember when... by blindseer · · Score: 2

    There was a time when USA would launch satellites for other nations, now we off shore even that. What is NASA's mission now? I thought it was supposed to encourage domestic space exploration.

    Oh, that's right, some White House talking head said NASA exists to make the descendents of the people that basically invented mathematics and science feel good. How about we have NASA inspire all Americans to seek knowledge? You know, like they used to do?

    I don't want to sound like I'm tearing down everyone at NASA. I'm sure there are some very smart and motivated people there doing great work. The problem lies in the management. It seems the government does not know what to do with NASA any more. Any project that NASA gets seems to lose funding as soon as it gets even close to launching anything. That's the nature of a government driven by professional politicians that are more concerned about winning the next election than actually improving the lives of Americans.

    I'm glad to see that this failure of NASA to lead us into space has resulted in private industry picking up where they left off. I predict we're going to see private space launches exceed anything NASA has been able to do real soon now. I predict the next person on the moon will be an American but the spacecraft will not bear the NASA emblem.

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    I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.
    1. Re:Remember when... by decsnake · · Score: 4, Informative

      GPM is a joint mission with Japan. The Japanese space agency, JAXA, has provided the primary science instrument, the Dual frequency Precipitation Radar, and the launch vehicle. This is the same arrangement we had with Japan for GPM's predecessor, TRMM, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission. Besides the primary goal of better understanding the processes that drive our planet's weather there is the secondary goal of fostering international scientific cooperation.

      Please do not confuse launch services with space exploration. NASA hasn't directly been in the commercial launch service since the dawn of the space age was over. Commercial satellite operators contract directly with commercial launch providers such as ULA, Orbital, Space-X, Arianespace or ILS.

      I am in complete agreement with your point about lack of political support for space science and exploration. While there has been no real support for space exploration for decades, the past decade has seen a real drop in actual support (that is, money) for space science. I suspect that is true for science in general, but space is my business.

    2. Re:Remember when... by pdscomp · · Score: 5, Informative

      In this case, NASA isn't 'out-sourcing' the GPM launch to Japan... GPM and its predecessor the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission–TRMM were both full collaborations between NASA and the Japanese Space Agency JAXA. In both cases, Goddard Space Flight Center (where I work) integrated the spacecraft and its payloads, with JAXA (formerly NASDA) providing payload(s) as well as launch services.

  4. Re:Fukushima by Immerman · · Score: 2

    What, is Fukushima getting ready to completely vaporize Japan and they're just keeping it under wraps?

    Nuclear winter isn't about radioactive fallout, they have another name for that: radioactive fallout.

    Nuclear winter refers to a global nuclear catastrophy that manages to throw enough particulate matter into the upper atmosphere to rival a massive volcano eruption and shade the Earths surface sufficiently cause one or more years of perpetual winter-like weather. Even during the cold war, most (informed) people didn't think that a full-scale global nuclear exchange would manage such a thing on it's own, instead they expected that the smoke from all the cities burning unchecked after the near-total collapse of civilization would do the job.

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    --- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.