SATELLITES ADVANTAGE

ADVANTAGE #_: SATELLITES Laser launch technology opens up a whole new world of satellite possibilities
LTI 00 (Lightcraft Technology, Inc., Fall, Newsletter, LTI is the leader in the science and application of Beamed
Energy Propulsion, http://www.lightcrafttechnologies.com/newsletter.html DOA: 9/2/11 ARW)

LTI envisions a host of innovative applications for its proposed micro-satellite laser launch enterprise. Among these are high resolution imaging and mapping (Earth resources inventories, real estate subdivisions, state and local government tax parcels, etc.), global positioning systems, astronomical telescopes (1-meter diameter mirror for amateur and professional use), secure telecommunications (cellular phones, pagers), lightweight replacement electronic components (small, but urgently needed payloads) delivered to the International Space Station, as well as threat detection and tracking (military). By exploiting the economies of scale, kilogram-class micro-satellites could cost less than the price of a new automobile. And, to accelerate them into orbit will cost no more than
a few hundred dollars worth of electricity to run the megawatt closed-cycle electric laser.

Critical satellites will die out in a few years and we have no plan for replacement
(Lynne, originally posted on 8/28/11, updated on 8/29/11, environment and public health reporter at The Huffington Post, has also worked as a biostatistician for Harvard, Weather Satellites And Storm Warnings Threatened By Federal Budget Cuts, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/28/noaa-weather-satellites-budget-cuts-hurricane-irene_n_939729.html DOA: 9/5/11 ARW)

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Detailed images taken by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites over the last several days enabled weather forecasters to provide a fairly precise picture of just when and where Hurricane Irene was headed and how strong she would be. The satellites also
relayed this critical information early enough so that people along the storm's path had days to stock up on food and water and, if necessary, move to higher ground. "A difference of five or 10 miles per hour in a hurricane can make a

difference in as much as a foot of flooding," said Dan Satterfield, a weatherman in Huntsville, Ala. "And every mile of accuracy you can get makes the forecast that much more accurate, allowing you to tell people where to evacuate." But with the recent decision by Congress to allocate less than half of the billion dollars of funding needed to maintain and upgrade the fleet, officials warn of an upcoming gap in the service relied upon by weather forecasters, as well as the armed forces, search-andrescue teams, energy companies and climate modelers. In 2016, NOAA anticipates that the polar-orbiting satellites most critical in forecasting extreme weather events will die out. And without enough money to keep research and construction on track over the next couple of years, Kathryn Sullivan, deputy administrator for NOAA, noted that they will not be ready in time to launch replacements. "Based just on the current year's budget, weve projected that we are pretty well locked
in something on the order of a year-long slip," Sullivan told The Huffington Post. Two basic types of NOAA satellites are currently watching the weather from above: geostationary satellites that appear to hover in place at an elevation of 22,300 miles and polar satellites that orbit north-south from about 540 miles. Sullivan explained how critical these complementing systems were for predictions of extreme weather events. "When you turn on your TV, or pick up your smart phone, the

three- to seven-day weather outlook you see is coming from NOAA," she said, adding that the

endangered polar-orbiting satellites are responsible for 93 percent of the data that is fed into her agency's forecast models and then provided to the likes of The Weather Channel
and AccuWeather.

Without these critical satellites, well be blind to natural disasters

(Lynne, originally posted on 8/28/11, updated on 8/29/11, environment and public health reporter at The Huffington Post, has also worked as a biostatistician for Harvard, Weather Satellites And Storm Warnings Threatened By Federal Budget Cuts, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/28/noaa-weather-satellites-budget-cuts-hurricane-irene_n_939729.html DOA: 9/5/11 ARW) So what would happen if this information wasn't included? NOAA recently got a sneak peak by looking at data from the February 2011 blizzard that struck the East Coast. Researchers reran the same forecast model for "Snowmageddon" without the polar satellite data and compared the result with the forecasts made during the epic snowstorm. In the test with blinded polar satellites, the storm's predicted track was off by tens of miles and snowfall figures fell short by nearly half, according to Sullivan. "But in the real world, with models properly fed by satellites," she said, "our forecast said 18 to 22 inches and it turned out to be 19. We hit the bulls-eye." "Think about a world in which you have to cut your confidence in half," added Sullivan, suggesting scenarios in which the public may receive an underestimate of the risk posed by an event and fail to adequately prepare, or even begin to ignore dire forecasts if prior severe weather predictions weren't realized. The blizzard, like Hurricane Irene, was an ocean-based storm. As Satterfield pointed out in an interview with HuffPost, "we don't have people on the ocean" to report the weather conditions necessary to supply the models.

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Loss of weather satellites jeopardizes everything

Morello 11 (Lauren, May 20, Reporter at E&E Publishing, LLC, Scientific American, As Big Hurricane Season Looms,
NOAA Chief Calls Satellite Cuts a "Disaster, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=as-big-hurricane-season-loomsnoaa-chief-calls-satellite-cuts-disaster DOA: 9/6/11 ARW) "Satellites are a must-have when it comes to detecting and tracking dangerous tropical weather. Not having satellites and their capabilities could spell disaster," Lubchenco said yesterday. "NOAA's satellites underpin hurricane forecasts by providing meteorological data over vast areas where we don't have other means of information." The information those satellites collect is also key to understanding climate change -- an unpopular topic on Capitol Hill -- but the agency has downplayed that aspect as it presses lawmakers for more cash. "We are working very closely with Congress for this satellite program," Lubchenco said. "We continue to emphasize how much, how important this program is as a matter of public safety. This is of national significance, and we are hopeful we will be able to get the funding to get this program back on track." A major scientific group echoed those concerns yesterday. "Funding JPSS is a national preparedness issue," Christine McEntee, executive director of the American Geophysical Union, said in a statement yesterday. "A gap in satellite coverage could jeopardize everything from agriculture and aviation safety, to the oil and gas industry, to wildfire response and other search and rescue operations."

The only things preventing new satellites are expense and lack of technology; both of which we solve for
(Robert, June 20, former defense analyst, editor, and emerging threats expert, Associated Content, Lack of Government Funding to Kill Weather Satellites? http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8162385/lack_of_government_funding_to_kill_pg2.html?cat=58 DOA: 9/5/11 ARW)

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Though limited budgets are the primary barrier to NOAA keeping the needed satellites aloft, other issues have also slowed down the new systems. Waiting on the development of new technology, for example, created delays in the program. But at a time when extreme weather seems to be occurring with increased frequency, the new satellites are needed more than ever.

Extensions: Satellites
Impacts: Increased death and property loss
(Robert, June 20, former defense analyst, editor, and emerging threats expert, Associated Content, Lack of Government Funding to Kill Weather Satellites? http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8162385/lack_of_government_funding_to_kill_pg2.html?cat=58 DOA: 9/5/11 ARW) Loss of these satellites would also render the public blind to dangerous weather trends like an approaching category 5 hurricane or the formation of a deadly blizzard. Without advanced warnings, loss of life and damage to property would increase. "If we go blind, if there actually is a gap between the last satellite and this, it certainly will erode the reliability and accuracy of our forecasts," said NOAA Deputy Administrator Kathryn Sullivan.

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GPS Satellites also at risk, key to communications

(William, May 18, Congress Homeland Security Reporter at Defense News, Will GPS Wear Itself Out?, http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4094487 DOA: 9/11/11 ARW) But there's a problem threatening GPS. Its 30 satellites are wearing out, and new satellites being built to replace them are three years behind schedule and have more than doubled in cost, from $729 million to $1.6 billion. Sometime in 2010, "as old satellites begin to fail," it is possible that the GPS network will be unable to provide the level of accuracy that the U.S. military needs, Christina Chaplain of the Government Accountability Office told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's national security subcommittee May 7. If that happens, GPS-guided bombs may miss their targets, troops in distress may be harder to rescue, navigation may become less certain, and telling friend from foe on the battlefield may become harder. And it's not just a problem for the military. "It is not an exaggeration to say that GPS is everywhere," said Michael Swiek, director of the United States GPS Industry Council. "Whenever you make a call on your cell phone, withdraw money from your ATM or send an e-mail, you are using GPS," he said. Airlines rely on GPS to plan routes that save fuel; banks rely on precise GPS time signals to authenticate electronic transactions; GPS synchronizes communications and aids in activities from weather forecasting to earthquake predicting. GPS-based systems in automobiles alert police to car crashes and medical emergencies. GPS probably won't disappear, but there are likely to be gaps in GPS service. GPS needs at least 24 working satellites to provide signals that maintain the level of service that's available today. But starting next year, "the probability of maintaining a constellation of at least 24 operational satellites falls below 95 percent," Chaplain said. And between 2010 and 2014, the probability falls to as low as 80 percent. If replacement GPS satellites are delayed for an additional two years, there is a 90 percent chance that the Air Force won't have 24 working GPS satellites, Chaplain said.

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