Rep. Ron Klein says an internal memo from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association suggests "imminent failure" of a hurricane tracking satellite — and he's introduced legislation to support a "cutting-edge next generation satellite system."
The memo, titled "Impacts of Likely Upcoming Failure of NASA’s QuikSCAT satellite," states that the QuikSCAT hurricane tracking satellite, which is now eight years past its original useful life, is exhibiting signs of mechanical difficulty and is likely to fail in a matter of "weeks or months."
Klein said he's long anticipated the satellite's failure and has pushed for development of a next-generation satellite, working with colleagues on legislative solutions in both 2007 and 2008. The bill introduced today authorizes the construction of next-generation hurricane tracking satellites, as recommended by the
NASA Jet Propulsion Lab. Klein said they'd provide better information to narrow the cone of uncertainty.
"This is a serious wake-up call which reminds us we have no time to waste," Klein said. "When a storm is bearing down on South Florida, we need the most up-to-the-minute technology available to protect our families."
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