The 2008 Orbiting Carbon Observatory and its 2014 replacement cost hundreds of millions of dollars to put in space and the data recorded is of such “exceptional” quality that farmers use it to track their fields, optimize yields and predict droughts. They were built, all the same, to monitor greenhouse gases and climate change. Accordingly, the Trump administration wants it destroyed, because it’s woke.
The equipment in space is state of the art and is expected to function for many more years, according to scientists who worked on the missions. An official review by NASA in 2023 found that “the data are of exceptionally high quality” and recommended continuing the mission for at least three years.
Both missions, known as the Orbiting Carbon Observatories, measure carbon dioxide and plant growth around the globe. They use identical measurement devices, but one device is attached to a stand-alone satellite while the other is attached to the International Space Station. The standalone satellite would burn up in the atmosphere if NASA pursued plans to terminate the mission.
Destroying our own cutting-edge space installations to own the…American farmers? I suppose it saves China the cost of two SC-19 missiles when they finally cut loose.
Previously:
• First ‘artisanal’ satellite made from wood launched into space
• Satellite photos of North Korea’s capsized new warship
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