Earth monitoring satellite goes silent

[MaineDem]

BY JUSTIN RAY
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: October 25, 2003

A $587 million environmental research satellite launched 10 months ago stopped communicating Saturday and is feared dead in space.

The Advanced Earth Observing Satellite 2, nicknamed Midori 2, is a joint mission between the Japanese and U.S. space programs to monitor our planet's health from orbit.

Mission controllers did not receive Earth observation data from the satellite at 7:28 a.m. Japan Standard Time on Saturday when the craft flew over a ground station, officials with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.

At 8:49 a.m., engineers checked the operational status of Midori 2 and found it was switched into a safe mode -- a condition in which all observation equipment is automatically turned off to minimize power consumption. This switch into the safing mode occurred due to an unknown anomaly.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0310/25adeos2/

[hedda_foil]

1. Sunstorm result?

Sounds like the right timing and the right sort of conditions for fried electronics.

[MaineDem]

6. That was my first thought (n/t)

.

[proud patriot]

17. my first thought too n/t

[arwalden]

2. Solar Flares? Solar Winds?

Everyone's been talking about them.

-- Allen

[Flubadubya]

10. Well, if it isn't Mrs. Bucket...

That's Mrs. Boo-Kay'!

[LittleApple81]

3. Earth must be pretty sick. Or pretty anomalous. Or really messed up. n/t

[Cronus Protagonist]

4. Real life turns into Star Trek episode!

So I've finally lived to the point where Star Trek became reality. An earth satellite turns off due to an anomaly!

Click Here To See Fair & Balanced Buttons, Stickers & Magnets

[Maple]

5. Capt'n it's an ion storm

Shields are up to protect our delicate equipment.

Quick...the dilithium crystals to the cupboard!

[Sushi_lover]

7. was the news from space so bad?

Was the satellite communicating conditions on Earth so bad that someone on earth had to kill the messenger?

I wonder.

[NNN0LHI]

8. Obviously Bill Clintons fault n/t

[xray s]

12. more specifically

Bill Clinton's penises fault

[goforit]

9. How convenient of the Bushes ......the enemies of the Earth!!!

They don't want any of the truth out while the obliterate
all that was once good!

[DivinBreuvage]

11. William Shatner was looking out the window of the satellite...

...and saw a small Bush-like homonculous monkeying around on the wing.

(anyone know what I'm talking about?)

Françoise

[stevedeshazer]

13. Yes, indeed

A great episode of "The Twilight Zone."

[will work 4 food]

14. It was the CHINESE

They launched a new satellite on that manned mission to space last week. It is prolly a satellite destroyer.

[fla nocount]

15. Yes.. n/t

*

[stickdog]

16. Whoops.

There goes the smoke alarm.

[Robb]

18. All these responses

...and no one made the obligatory Midori Sour joke.

Shame, shame! :)