From: Randall <rvh40@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: May 2, 2005 12:28:35 AM EDT
To: JMG <johnmacsgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Dave <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Earth-science satellite network in jeopardy
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7317
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Posted: 2005-05-01 13:20
Earth-science satellite network in jeopardy
NewScientist.com news service
Kelly Young
The US network of satellites monitoring the environmental health of
the
Earth is on the verge of collapse, according to a highly critical
report
released on Wednesday by the country's National Research Council.
Six recent NASA Earth-observing missions have been delayed, scaled
back
or completely cut. Several of the cancelled missions were follow-
ups to
successful satellite projects.
The US is probably responsible for about half of the Earth-science
satellites currently in orbit, says Richard Anthes, president of the
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and co-chair of the
committee that produced the report.
Most of the document focuses on research satellites, and Anthes warns
that, for example, these map bulges in the Earth that may signal
impending volcanic eruptions, track the depleted ozone layer, and
analyse changes in soil moisture that may precede a famine.
Furthermore,
if observational satellites are not replaced weather and hurricane
forecasting would suffer.
When current satellites retire, scientists fear there may be a serious
data gap. "The planning for new missions should probably have been
started five to 10 years ago," says Anthes. "But the community is now
waking up."
"NASA is currently carefully reviewing each recommendation in the
academy's report," says NASA spokesperson Dolores Beasley. "We'll work
with the community to respond to all of the recommendations."
Costly GIFTS
President George W Bush's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2006 lists
Earth studies as one of NASA's five national objectives. But in that
budget, NASA's Earth science programmes would get $1.37 billion, about
8% less than they received the year before.
The report recommends that two missions in particular be re-
instated as
soon as possible. One is the Global Precipitation Measurement
mission -
an international network of eight satellites designed to provide
worldwide rainfall data. The other is the Geostationary Imaging
Fourier
Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS), which would measure temperature and
water vapour in the atmosphere. NASA has already spent over $100
million
on GIFTS.
The panel also recommends that NASA and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) re-evaluate the Ocean Vector Winds,
Landsat Data Continuity and Glory missions. Instruments from those
missions - which would measure ocean winds, land surface changes,
aerosols and solar irradiance - could be transferred from NASA to
future
NOAA satellites.
NOAA is planning to launch its National Polar-orbiting Operational
Environmental Satellite System in 2009. "Right now, the whole
future of
Earth observations is basically resting on the NOAA satellites,"
Anthes
told New Scientist.
"Unusual urgency"
The National Research Council's final report on a 10-year research
agenda for Earth observations from space is due for release in late
2006. Wednesday's interim report was published because "we felt that
there was an unusual amount of urgency", Anthes says. "There are
enough
signs that Earth science was losing priority in NASA that we thought
damage could be done."
He says there are many reasons for the slowdown in Earth-science
missions, including different national priorities, such as the 2003
war
with Iraq, national security and the plan to send humans to the
Moon and
Mars.
The US House Science Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday to
discuss NASA's plans for Earth-science research. The space agency's
associate administrator for science, Alphonso Diaz, will be among
those
answering questions from congressmen.
Link
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