The Hurricane Satellite

I am interested in the global collection and production of climate data. We rely on this data a great deal to make decisions regarding climate change. Recently, NASA has decided against replacing a QuikScat satellite - a type of satellite which tracks the wind and provides detailed information on the earth's other fluid system- the ocean. Although the satellite's main purpose is to help forecasters predict hurricanes, it is one of a few sources of data regarding melting sea ice. Now, due to budget cuts, NASA has decided not to fix the satellite, despite the fact that it is showing increasing signs of wear and tear (This information comes from a BBC.com article called "Losing Sight of Planet Earth" by Molly Bently. It can be found at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6909887.stm


I looked up the satellite online, and the science behind it is pretty cool. The instrument aboard is called SeaWinds and it has a rotating dish antenna with two spot beams spinning in a circle. The instrument is able to collect 400,000 measurements a day, covering 90% of the earth's surface (information on the QuikScat satellite is found at :

http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/quikscat/index.cfm.

In other interesting news, a company was able to start producing the $100 dollar laptop for sale in certain developing countries.