Submitted via IRC for chromas
Oceanography satellite ends 11-year mission – Spaceflight Now
A joint U.S.-European satellite mission that measured rising sea levels for 11 years is ending due to the deteriorating condition of the spacecraft’s power system, officials said Friday.
The Jason 2 satellite was designed to operate for three to five years, but it outlived its design life and continued collecting precise sea level measurements through the launch of a replacement spacecraft — Jason 3 — in January 2016.
During its 11-year mission, Jason 2 charted nearly 2 inches (5 centimeters) of global sea level rise, an observation scientists attribute to a rise in average global temperatures.
“Today we celebrate the end of this resoundingly successful international mission,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the NASA science mission directorate. "Jason-2/OSTM has provided unique insight into ocean currents and sea level rise with tangible benefits to marine forecasting, meteorology and our understanding of climate change.”
Ground teams noticed signs of aging from the Jason 2 satellite in 2017, and officials ordered controllers at NOAA’s satellite operations center in Maryland to command the spacecraft to move out of its original 830-mile-high (1,336-kilometer) science orbit to a slightly lower altitude away from other operational missions.
Jason 2 also depleted excess propellant reserves in 2017, but the satellite continued collecting scientific data. The lower orbit meant Jason 2’s measurements of the same location on the ocean were less frequent, but the resolution of the data improved, allowing scientists to conduct marine gravity studies and map seafloor topography, officials said.
[...] Issues with Jason 2’s power system in recent weeks prompted mission managers to “passivate” the spacecraft and end the mission in order reduce the risk of the satellite becoming a source of space junk. Jason 2 ended scientific observations Oct. 1, and the satellite will be decommissioned Oct. 10, officials said in a statement.
“With the recent degradation of the spacecraft’s power system, mission partners decided to end the mission to decrease risks to other satellites and future altimetry missions, and to comply with French space law,” the mission partners said in a statement.
(Score: 2) by black6host on Sunday October 06 2019, @12:15AM
Uh huh, sure. What really happened: Jason 2 began his life long dream of being the Inspector Clouseau of space!
(Score: -1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 06 2019, @12:23AM (4 children)
What was predicted by "the inconvenient truth"? It seems the sea level is rising just as it always has since the LGM:
So nature raised the sea level 410 feet in 21k years (0.0195 ft/yr), and man supposedly raised it 1/6 of a foot in 11 years (0.0151 ft/yr). So sea level rise was ~25% lower than average the last decade, yet we are supposed to raise taxes to stop it (somehow).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 06 2019, @12:51AM (2 children)
Better get a bulk rate on your wedding cake [xkcd.com]
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 06 2019, @12:59AM (1 child)
Is this some kid of bot? Say something unique and insightful.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 06 2019, @01:21AM
something unique and insightful
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 06 2019, @02:02AM
The facts in this post were apparently "an inconvenient truth" to someone.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 06 2019, @01:12AM (2 children)
They use equipment well beyond its "best before" date, and wonder why they are getting anomalous readings? Never mind, just keep buying carbon credits from Al Gore and it'll be OK.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 06 2019, @01:47AM
That's ok. What they were doing is beyond your comprehension anyway.
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 06 2019, @01:59AM
Your brain is well past "before date". And it shows.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 06 2019, @07:56AM (3 children)
The sunspot cycle is 11 years. Given the tremendous influence the Sun has, it wouldn't be too shocking to find that the climate data is following that cycle. Cutting off research suggests that Jason 2 got the "correct" data and nobody wants to risk the chance of measuring inconvenient data.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 06 2019, @01:11PM
I'd bet this is from the same idiot/bot who posted the the xkcd link.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 06 2019, @03:24PM
I guess you "missed" the launch of Jason 3 in 2016.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 06 2019, @04:31PM
Seasat, TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, Jason-2, and Jason-3.