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Newest NOAA Weather Satellite Suffers Critical Malfunction (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released some bad news yesterday: the GOES-17 weather satellite that launched almost two months ago has a cooling problem that could endanger the majority of the satellite's value. GOES-17 is the second of a new generation of weather satellite to join NOAA's orbital fleet. Its predecessor is covering the U.S. East Coast, with GOES-17 meant to become "GOES-West." While providing higher-resolution images of atmospheric conditions, it also tracks fires, lightning strikes, and solar behavior. It's important that NOAA stays ahead of the loss of dying satellites by launching new satellites that ensure no gap in global coverage ever occurs.
Several weeks ago, it became clear that the most important instrument -- the Advanced Baseline Imager -- had a cooling problem. This instrument images the Earth at a number of different wavelengths, including the visible portion of the spectrum as well as infrared wavelengths that help detect clouds and water vapor content. The infrared wavelengths are currently offline. The satellite has to be actively cooled for these precision instruments to function, and the infrared wavelengths only work if the sensor stays below 60K -- that's about a cool -350F. The cooling system is only reaching that temperature 12 hours a day. The satellite can still produce visible spectrum images, as well as the solar and lightning monitoring, but it's not a glorious next-gen weather satellite without that infrared data.
Several weeks ago, it became clear that the most important instrument -- the Advanced Baseline Imager -- had a cooling problem. This instrument images the Earth at a number of different wavelengths, including the visible portion of the spectrum as well as infrared wavelengths that help detect clouds and water vapor content. The infrared wavelengths are currently offline. The satellite has to be actively cooled for these precision instruments to function, and the infrared wavelengths only work if the sensor stays below 60K -- that's about a cool -350F. The cooling system is only reaching that temperature 12 hours a day. The satellite can still produce visible spectrum images, as well as the solar and lightning monitoring, but it's not a glorious next-gen weather satellite without that infrared data.
" the infrared wavelengths only work if the sensor stays below 60K -- that's about a cool -350F"
Pain is merely failure leaving the body
NOAA got the extended warranty from Best Buy.
The problem is with the cooling system. It can currently only run 12 hours per day. That system was designed while Bush Jr. was our ruler, so this is his fault.
CAPTCHA: emprorers. Funny how the Bush Crime Family considered themselves our emperors.
... with my apologies.
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
I just ask Google for the weather.
I am sure SpaceX can send a crew up and get it retrieved and repaired.
"That system was designed while Bush Jr. was our ruler,"
If you used Bush as your ruler, you were designing it wrong
Pain is merely failure leaving the body
I screwed up. Sorry.
Slipped a picture of my smoking hot girlfriend into the satellite when nobody was looking. There is a slim chance they may be able to workaround the heating problem by positioning the coronagraph in front of her heavenly body.
Repairman is a passenger and all vehicle operations using remote control.
I'm surprised the cooling system doesn't have a backup, it along with the reaction wheels and propulsion system are generally the first things to break down so there is generally some level of redundancy.
Truman: Contingency plan?
Harry: Your backup plan. You gotta have some kind of backup plan, right?
Truman: No, we don't have a back up plan, this is, uh
Harry: And this is the best that you-that the government, the U.S. government could come up with? I mean, you're NASA for crying out loud, you put a man on the moon, you're geniuses! You're the guys that're thinking shit up! I'm sure you got a team of men sitting around somewhere right now just thinking shit up and somebody backing them up! You're telling me you don't have a backup plan,
Well nuts. It seems Climate Change has now escaped into outer space. If it reaches the moon we're all in trouble -- where are we going to find enough pizza crust to hold all of that hot, gooey cheese?
If the universe is someone's simulation -- does that mean the stars are just stuck pixels?
I wondered who built the thing. Well, according to Wikipedia, the satellite was made by Lockheed Martin, with this Advanced Baseline Imager being from Harris.
If you used Bush as your ruler, you were designing it wrong
Everybody knows the proper unit of scale is a banana.
GOES-17 meant to become "GOES-West."
Gee, looks like they should have called it "GOES-South".
I'll get my coat.
-it's not a glorious next-gen weather satellite without that infrared data.
Why that wording?
Satellite can't stay cool? Has global warming extended beyond earth's atmosphere already?
Non calor sed umor est qui nobis incommodat.
Launch some repositionable gold foil as part of a microsatellite launch of 100's of little satellites, shaped to the GOES-17 contour but not covering the solar panels - and have it 'shadow' the satellite and reposition as needed.
It could save others from overheating, but not itself ..
(I read too many memes these days.)
Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
The satellite discovered that climate change has nothing to do with human activity and therefore has "malfunctioned".
There's no money to be made if the climate is cooling.
Everybody knows the proper unit of scale is a banana.
Ummmm. What's the conversion factor from bananas to libraries of congress?