Methane climate satellite fails
Fifteen months into a five year mission it appears the methane climate satellite MethaneSat has apparently failed prematurely.
From the press release by the environmental activist organization Environmental Defense Fund that operated the satellite:
On Friday, June 20, the MethaneSAT mission operations lost contact with MethaneSAT. After pursuing all options to restore communications, we learned this morning that the satellite has lost power, and that it is likely not recoverable.
The satellite was unusual in that it was developed and built by this activist organization, not a government or academic institution. Its failure is especially unfortunate at this time, because this non-governmental approach to science research is exactly what the science community needs to pursue faced as it is with major cuts in federal funding.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Fifteen months into a five year mission it appears the methane climate satellite MethaneSat has apparently failed prematurely.
From the press release by the environmental activist organization Environmental Defense Fund that operated the satellite:
On Friday, June 20, the MethaneSAT mission operations lost contact with MethaneSAT. After pursuing all options to restore communications, we learned this morning that the satellite has lost power, and that it is likely not recoverable.
The satellite was unusual in that it was developed and built by this activist organization, not a government or academic institution. Its failure is especially unfortunate at this time, because this non-governmental approach to science research is exactly what the science community needs to pursue faced as it is with major cuts in federal funding.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Cows everywhere can now fart without fear of persecution.
Well that stinks…
Without background data, ANY conclusions drawn are suspect. Consider the ozone scam!
All data needs to start with a baseline. It is a big loss as it could have helped build a ground truth for the future. It will take time to replace this capability. Of course building a lot of little satellites instead of one really big one increases the mission odds considerably.
I am waiting for the Greens to say this is an Elon conspiracy–even though the OMButcher has no problem cutting things in the open :)
Cue the world’s smallest violin. Pointless exercise anyway as the methane absorption bands in the are of importance are overlaid by water vapour.
Note they were trying to nobble the oil and gas industry. Any published results should be suspect.
I live in Queensland, Australia where there are many gas wells to the west of us. About 7 years ago some folks I know did a UN research contract involving flying motorgliders at low altitude over the area to monitor the methane emissions from the gas industry. Found the gas industry was no problem but the methane they measured was coming from the cattle feedlots in the area. It is also a rich farming area.
You are correct. 1/3 of the earth is covered in water vapor by average. The overlap in the emission lines can be seen before the sun comes up when the clouds that are red reflecting light at 700 nm back to earth. Do you feel that blast of heat from those red clouds? Carbon dioxide is less than 1/2 of 1/10 of 1% responsible for reflecting light/ heat at that same wavelength. The math doesn’t match the garbage they shoved down our throat‘s.
A satellite for taxing natural occurring elements, and the decay of cow manure made of plants that would’ve rotted in the fields anyway if the cows didn’t eat it. Zero sum gain.
Quote;
“This will also strengthen reporting of emissions to states in regard to climate policies, and to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), a U.S. federal office that has recently installed new guidelines for methane leakages.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ianpalmer/2024/08/23/why-methanesat-is-important-for-lowering-emissions-from-oil-and-gas-fields/
In short, it’s a tool for locating emission sites so heavy fines can be levied. To save the world you know.
Article says methane is 80 times more potent than CO2. (not true)
Math anyone?
80×1.8ppm=144…. CO2 levels are 420 ppm. Methane is 276 parts per million short of carbon dioxides baseline. Even when inflating its importance by 80 times it falls far short of being meaningful as a temporary trace gas, a tempest in a teapot. (methane at 1.8 ppm is the equivalent of $1.80¢ out of a million dollars… as close to zero as you can get after being emitted for billions of years)
I suspect that the true believers didn’t know before the satellite was launched, that the satellite would also be picking up methane from the sun in the northern lights, billions of tons of it every time a Chrono mass ejection solar flare hits the earth. (among other hydrogen compounds that oxidize into water causing the ocean levels to rise about 5 inches per century) could you imagine the embarrassment if they showed the science in the methane levels as they truly are from the solar wind? And how irrelevant Earth levels are? (CO2 The basis of all life)
10% of earths crust has carbon in it. If they want to sequester carbon, start with Mount Everest… and then bury all of the Himalayas.
Max
Can you point me to somewhere that discusses the link between CME and methane generation from CMEs
Doom delayed
https://phys.org/news/2025-07-satellites-reveal-tropical-wetland-methane.html
https://phys.org/news/2025-07-ships-trigger-high-unexpected-emissions.html