The DSCOVR satellite can answer critical questions about global warming, including whether or not it's a fantasy. It has been built and paid for but it's been sitting in a Marlyand warehouse for years. There are no plans to launch it,even though both France and Ukraine have offered to do so for free. NASA won't say why. Can you find out?

The DSCOVR satellite can answer critical questions about global warming, including whether or not it's a fantasy. It has been built and paid for but it's been sitting in a Marlyand warehouse for years. There are no plans to launch it,even though both France and Ukraine have offered to do so for free. NASA won't say why. Can you find out?
Asked by: chrisd from Columbia, MD

Asked of U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) on May 28th, 2008

Categories: Environment. Tags: climate change · global warming · NASA · satellite · science.

Answer from: U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL)

Yeah, the Deep Space Climate Observatory is a NASA satellite that was originally proposed by then Vice President Al Gore. One of the purposes was to provide a continuous picture of the earth from 1.5 km away in space. Critics have argued that the satellite would beam, essentially, an overpriced screen saver of earth that was not the best use of NASA dollars that could be spent on perhaps more pressing matters like monitoring the climate and life sciences etc. Due to questions about the satellite’s scientific value NASA took it off the shuttle launch manifest and placed it in storage in NASA’s Goddard Space Center. In a recent NASA reauthorization bill which I was a prime sponsor of, we have asked NASA to prepare a plan on how to best utilize the stored satellite and all of its components. It may mean sending it back into space it may mean some other use but we are asking NASA to go back and take a second look at the potential value of the satellite.

Answered on Jul 25th, 2008