twinkle twinkle little starposted by memebake at 12:57 PM on September 23, 2011 [6 favorites]
how I wonder what you are
A pile of nasty space junk
twice the size of a car
...
Perfect opportunity to go up to my roof and drop a huge twisted lump of smoking metal on my neighbour's sunlight-blocking extension.
...
I'm hoping I get hit The red hot metal and technology will merge with my organic parts to create a horrific abomination of flesh and steel, angry at the world that betrayed it.
...I will let you know how it turns out.
As a result, scientists have gained a better understanding of the energy input, chemistry and dynamics of the upper atmosphere and the coupling between the upper and lower atmosphere. As the first satellite dedicated to studying stratospheric science, UARS focused on the processes that lead to ozone depletion, complementing and amplifying the measurements of total ozone made by the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) onboard NASA's Nimbus-7 and the Russian Meteor-3 satellites. UARS also measured winds and temperatures in the stratosphere, as well as the energy input from the Sun, research that is now being applied to improve weather forecasting models and help scientists understand the forces behind global climate change.John Belushi's take on a similar incident in the '70's. Amazingly relevant.
Before UARS, little was known about the atmospheric region between 80 kilometers and 300 kilometers above the Earth, since radio-equipped balloons would explode at that altitude, and ordinary satellites burn up. UARS orbited at a safe 600-kilometer altitude, aiming its cameras at the atmosphere below. Although the mission was originally intended for only a three-year mission, its deployment was long enough to observe an entire 11-year solar cycle. Some of the mission's most important contributions came from the four instruments onboard that measured concentrations and distribution of gases important to ozone depletion, climate change and other atmospheric phenomena. Data collected from UARS offered conclusive evidence that chlorine in the atmosphere - originating from human-produced chlorofluorocarbons - is at the root of the ozone hole.
In all, the ten UARS instruments have provided the most complete data on upper atmospheric energy inputs, winds, and chemical composition ever gathered. Together, these observations constitute a highly integrated investigation of the nature of the upper atmosphere, and help define the role of the upper atmosphere in climate and climate variability. In its first two weeks of operation, UARS data confirmed the polar ozone-depletion theories by providing three-dimensional maps of ozone and chlorine monoxide near the South Pole during development of the 1991 ozone hole.
Moreover, UARS collected data on the chemistry, dynamics and radiative inputs to the upper atmosphere far beyond its designed lifetime. UARS was designed to last 18 months, but upgrades extended its life for years beyond its expected lifespan. The United Kingdom and Canada both provided instruments for this mission, the first spacecraft launched as part of NASA's systematic, comprehensive study of the Earth system.
The Afternoon Train, or "A-Train", for short, is a constellation of satellites that travel one behind the other, along the same track, as they orbit Earth. Four satellites currently fly in the A-Train - Aqua, CloudSat, CALIPSO, and Aura. GCOM-W1 and OCO-2 are scheduled to join the configuration in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Glory was lost in a launch vehicle failure on March 4, 2011. The A-Train satellites cross the equator within a few minutes of each other at around 1:30 p.m. local time. By combining different sets of nearly simultaneous observations from these satellites, scientists are able to study important parameters related to climate change.posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:49 PM on September 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Any surviving wreckage belongs to NASA, and it is against the law to keep or sell even the smallest piece. There are no toxic chemicals on board, but sharp edges could be dangerous, so the space agency is warning the public to keep hands off and call police.Actual NASA advice.
« Older In 1977-1978, a public access TV show called Publi... | Wired takes a look at some pop... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by RolandOfEld at 12:36 PM on September 23, 2011