Another Bush legacy: Dying Satellites Could Lead to Shaky Weather Forecasts (NYT)

[jsr]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/27/us/dying-satellites-could-lead-to-shaky-weather-forecasts.html

October 26, 2012
Aging Satellite Fleet May Mean Gaps in Storm Forecasts
By JOHN H. CUSHMAN Jr.

WASHINGTON — The United States is facing a year or more without crucial satellites that provide invaluable data for predicting storm tracks, a result of years of mismanagement, underfunding and delays in launching replacements, according to several recent official reviews.

The looming gap in satellite coverage, which some experts now view as almost certain to occur within the next few years, could result in shaky forecasts about storms like Hurricane Sandy, which is now expected to hit the northeast seaboard early next week.

The endangered satellites fly pole-to-pole orbits and cross the Equator in the afternoon, scanning the whole planet one strip at a time. Along with orbiters on other timetables, they are among the most effective tools used to pin down the paths of major storms around five days ahead...

The mismanagement of the $13 billion program, which goes back a decade, was recently described as a “national embarrassment” by a top official of the Commerce Department. ...

[Sekhmets Daughter]

1. The loss of the shuttle program

exacerbates the problem.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

2. We don't need weather satellites.

we got god!



What any republican would say.

[HopeHoops]

3. The shrub was a disaster on every possible count.