Bob Dylan once sang, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” Maybe not, but you do need a good weather satellite to track tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, volcanic ash clouds, lightning storms, wildfires, solar flares and
Bob Dylan once sang, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” Maybe not, but you do need a good weather satellite to track tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, volcanic ash clouds, lightning storms, wildfires, solar flares and all sorts of weather-related data that could save lives.
Last weekend, the new GOES-R spacecraft, described by many as the most advanced weather satellite ever built, was launched from Cape Canaveral into a 22,300-mile-high equatorial orbit.
Fifty of the nation’s top TV meteorologists were on hand to witness the launch of the spacecraft described by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a “quantum leap” beyond the generation of satellites it is replacing.
The technological upgrade will result in more accurate weather forecasts and storm warnings. In the case of hurricanes and tornadoes, being 15 minutes ahead of the curve will save numerous American lives.
The data gathered by the new weather satellite also will prevent one of the biggest inconveniences airline passengers encounter, especially in winter: sitting on the tarmac for hours in planes not cleared for takeoff because of bad weather. This improvement alone will make the $1 billion satellite upgrade one of our best national investments ever.
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
