Main US Weather Satellite Fails As Hurricane Season Looms 235
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.
Re:check the weather out west (Score:5, Informative)
in the USA weather moves west to east
Generally, yes. But many tropical systems that affect the eastern US start their formation off the coast of Africa and move East to West.
Re:They saw this coming for ages... (Score:5, Informative)
I actually work on one of the teams that is building the GOES-R satellite. Say what you will about funding and scheduling, but we have not been cancelled.
Another link to IBTIMES?? with their video ad? (Score:5, Informative)
Satellite logs are at http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/SATS/messages.html [noaa.gov], it looks like the satellite failed to return imaging two days ago and is now being put into a storage mode.
Re:They saw this coming for ages... (Score:5, Informative)
More Information (Score:5, Informative)
Re:They saw this coming for ages... (Score:5, Informative)
Personally both of those presidents have not been the greatest.
They are almost indistinguishable, based on most policy of any real import. Obama followed the Bush Iraq timeline, implemented a "surge" in Afghanistan, massively expanded Medicare, extended the Bush tax cuts for 4 years (and most are still in place), kept 'Gitmo open, continued the Bush bailout policies, extended the Patriot Act, invaded a country in the Middle East, uses drones to conduct targeted killing, and has presided over a massive increase in debt. That's just off the top of my head, so my apologies if I've missed anything. I'm sure I'm subject to some confirmation bias, but yes I am aware that our military is slightly more gay. However, I'm also aware that the Democratic party had a majority for two full years and they did not repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, or any of the other things that they later blamed on Republican obstructionism.
A bit dramatic... (Score:2, Informative)
I feel like the article is a bit more doomsday than it should be. "impossible to predict weather patterns"? Hardly. Goes 14 is already active as of today according to the NOAA CLASS database and covers a good portion of the area GOES 13 covered even before they move it to a new spot. Also don't forget the polar orbiters (POES) satellites that will cover the same area several times a day with equally, or more in the case of Suomi NPP, advanced instruments. Plus the European satellites contribute to forecasts. So it's hardly like a hurricane will form without us knowing...
Re:They saw this coming for ages... (Score:5, Informative)
Didn't read even TFS, I see.
They've already activated the back-up satellite (GOES-14), which has been in orbit waiting for this for four years now (launched in 2009).
Re:They saw this coming for ages... (Score:5, Informative)
Here is a trailer/teaser video about it, excellent production values. It could be titled: "GOES-R : Into Fog [youtube.com]"
The page that has links to all these videos is at a special U.S. government website about GOES-R [goes-r.gov]
This is a much longer video which details all of the instruments. [youtube.com]
Finally, you may enjoy this video on the overall NOAA project and system, and how GOES-R fits into that system. [youtube.com] Of note in this video is the statement that currently three (3) GOES satellites provide redundant coverage of the U.S.
At the moment, GOES-15 is the west coast satellite, at longitude 135 West. GOES-13 was imaging from 75W. GOES-14 is presently located at 105W.
Re:god, to I have to tell you people everything?!! (Score:2, Informative)
Forecasting practices (Score:5, Informative)
Most forecasting is done by meteorologists viewing the predicted conditions based on a numerical model that normally gets run every 12 hours. The model's forecast is usually pretty good out to 72 hours or so. What happens is that an experienced weather-guesser (ex-Navy, here) will look at the model's output (which lags realtime to some degree) and compare the prediction to the actual conditions for the timeframe in question. If the correlation is high, he/she will put more faith into the model's longer term predictions. If the model isn't tracking reality very well, the forecaster will rely on experience rather than the numerical prediction for the longer-range forecast.
Sounder data from the available weather satellites is used to seed the modelling software as close to its run time as possible, to set up starting conditions for the observable areas. If that data is lacking, the previous model run data closest to the time of the new run is used. (GIGO applies...)
The realtime data can also come from radiosondes, official observations stations, buoys, or what have you. Losing a bird doesn't mean the forecasting infrastructure will fall apart; it just means that imagery will come from a different source (= different angle, with attendant distortion), and some loss of realtime input for the model run.
Re:They saw this coming for ages... (Score:3, Informative)
The Iraq War Resolution, which Congress approved, included 22 reasons for invading Iraq (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rationale_for_the_Iraq_War#Iraq_War_Resolution). Plenty of which were true (* on #2 which I suspect is your greatest contention, but note that it doesn't just cite existence of WMD but programs to develop such, which he clearly had)
That's a pretty far cry from your [quote]absolutely none of the stated reasons turned out to be true[/quote]
True: Iraq's noncompliance with the conditions of the 1991 ceasefire agreement, including interference with U.N. weapons inspectors.
True*: Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, and programs to develop such weapons, posed a "threat to the national security of the United States and international peace and security in the Persian Gulf region."
True: Iraq's "brutal repression of its civilian population."
True: Iraq's "capability and willingness to use weapons of mass destruction against other nations and its own people".
True: Iraq's hostility towards the United States as demonstrated by the 1993 assassination attempt on former President George H. W. Bush and firing on coalition aircraft enforcing the no-fly zones following the 1991 Gulf War.
True: Members of Al-Qaeda, an organization bearing responsibility for attacks on the United States, its citizens, and interests, including the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, are known to be in Iraq.
True: Iraq's "continuing to aid and harbor other international terrorist organizations," including anti-United States terrorist organizations.
True: Iraq paid bounty to families of suicide bombers.
True: The efforts by the Congress and the President to fight terrorists, including the September 11th, 2001 terrorists and those who aided or harbored them.
True: The authorization by the Constitution and the Congress for the President to fight anti-United States terrorism.
True: The governments in Turkey, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia feared Saddam and wanted him removed from power.
Citing the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, the resolution reiterated that it should be the policy of the United States to remove the Saddam Hussein regime and promote a democratic replacement.
The fact that you don't like or agree with any/all of them isn't an excuse for lying about it.
Hope the shoe tastes good, you should be chewing on it for quite a while.