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GRACE-FO launched SpaceX

Discussion in 'Environmental Discussion' started by bwilson4web, May 23, 2018.

  1. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Using the same booster that launched the failed Zuma, it lofted two GRACE-FO satellites and five Iridium:
    Watch SpaceX launch the GRACE-FO and Iridium NEXT satellites here – TechCrunch
    • No recovery of first stage planned
    • Flairing recovery attempted but no luck
    • Satellites released on orbit
    Source: https://gracefo.jpl.nasa.gov

    . . . Major changes in water mass can cause localized bumps and dips in gravity, sometimes with counterintuitive effects. Melting glaciers, for example, actually cause nearby sea level to drop; as they lose mass, their gravitational pull slackens, and sea water migrates away. In this animation, computed from data gathered by the twin GRACE satellites between April 2002 and March 2015, sea level is dropping around rapidly melting Greenland (orange, yellow). But near coastlines at a sufficient distance, the added water causes sea levels to rise (blue). The computational method is described in Adhikari et al. (2016, Geoscientific Model Development). And, these solutions are presented in Adhikari and Ivins (2016, Science Advances).

    Bob Wilson