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MethaneSAT

metaphor 5y ago
> MethaneSAT will be the most advanced methane-tracking satellite in space, measuring methane emissions virtually anywhere on earth. > #1: MethaneSAT is the world's first satellite launched by an independent NGO. So have they or have they not deployed?
- gumby 5y ago
  It was supposed to launch in sept. I haven’t kept track to see if it did. I think Planet’s next gen microsat approach will be more sophisticated but that’s a couple of years away.
throwaway81523 5y ago
Per the site, "MethaneSAT is the world’s first satellite launched by an independent NGO. Our only agenda is to save the planet." It is a satellite that monitors methane emissions, such as from oil fields. That's great I guess. I had thought it was going to be a new SAT/SMT solver, which would also be nice, but I can't really complain.
- wiz21c 5y ago
  We're not evil ! Less cynically: who pays the bills... I see there's a fund, but anyone knows who owns the fund ?
  - gumby 5y ago
    It’s being launched by the environmental defense fund, which it says right on the site. They got $100MM from Bezos for their methane efforts which doesn’t appear to be on this site, but is no secret (EDF has talked about it since the grant was made). They have other methane efforts other than the ghgsat though that’s presumably the most expensive of their CH4 projects.
ncmncm 5y ago
As with most sites built like this one, I come away knowing less than I did when I started. A precis, anyone?
- mturmon 5y ago
  The about page does a pretty good job: https://www.methanesat.org/about/ https://www.methanesat.org/about/ Here's my even shorter version: Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Methane emissions follow a heavy-tailed distribution: a few sources are responsible for a lot of emissions. Some emissions (related to the oil industry, and those related to agriculture) are due to leaks or transient conditions that can be remedied with little effort. You can detect methane concentrations, and even active plumes, from space with imaging spectroscopy. This is a technology that has been demonstrated by space agencies, including NASA and ESA. Some of those who pioneered these methods (which were science investigations) are trying to push out a simpler, operational version of this technology to get more methane concentration measurements, and faster.
  - ncmncm 5y ago
    Fine, but they seem to be trying to invite us to participate in some way, but I can't tell how.
    - ogazitt 5y ago
      Seems like a cool idea, but I had the same reaction. The CTA is "sign up for updates". Or if you follow the funding trail to edf.org, the CTA is "Donate". Which honestly was not all that well-done.
freemint 5y ago
For a moment I thought cool yet a another SAT solver having a chemical as a name. This is nothing new I am thinking of Glucose solver ...
- daniel-cussen 5y ago
  Same, I was ready to get my mind blown about how Methane molecules got wrangled into solving SAT.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
elkos 5y ago
how does MethaneSAT plans to retrieve their telemetry and payload data?

> MethaneSAT will be the most advanced methane-tracking satellite in space, measuring methane emissions virtually anywhere on earth. > #1: MethaneSAT is the world's first satellite launched by an independent NGO. So have they or have they not deployed?

gumby 5y ago
It was supposed to launch in sept. I haven’t kept track to see if it did. I think Planet’s next gen microsat approach will be more sophisticated but that’s a couple of years away.

throwaway81523 5y ago

Per the site, "MethaneSAT is the world’s first satellite launched by an independent NGO. Our only agenda is to save the planet." It is a satellite that monitors methane emissions, such as from oil fields. That's great I guess. I had thought it was going to be a new SAT/SMT solver, which would also be nice, but I can't really complain.

wiz21c 5y ago
We're not evil ! Less cynically: who pays the bills... I see there's a fund, but anyone knows who owns the fund ?
- gumby 5y ago
  It’s being launched by the environmental defense fund, which it says right on the site. They got $100MM from Bezos for their methane efforts which doesn’t appear to be on this site, but is no secret (EDF has talked about it since the grant was made). They have other methane efforts other than the ghgsat though that’s presumably the most expensive of their CH4 projects.

ncmncm 5y ago

As with most sites built like this one, I come away knowing less than I did when I started. A precis, anyone?

mturmon 5y ago
The about page does a pretty good job: https://www.methanesat.org/about/ https://www.methanesat.org/about/ Here's my even shorter version: Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Methane emissions follow a heavy-tailed distribution: a few sources are responsible for a lot of emissions. Some emissions (related to the oil industry, and those related to agriculture) are due to leaks or transient conditions that can be remedied with little effort. You can detect methane concentrations, and even active plumes, from space with imaging spectroscopy. This is a technology that has been demonstrated by space agencies, including NASA and ESA. Some of those who pioneered these methods (which were science investigations) are trying to push out a simpler, operational version of this technology to get more methane concentration measurements, and faster.
- ncmncm 5y ago
  Fine, but they seem to be trying to invite us to participate in some way, but I can't tell how.
  - ogazitt 5y ago
    Seems like a cool idea, but I had the same reaction. The CTA is "sign up for updates". Or if you follow the funding trail to edf.org, the CTA is "Donate". Which honestly was not all that well-done.

freemint 5y ago

For a moment I thought cool yet a another SAT solver having a chemical as a name. This is nothing new I am thinking of Glucose solver ...

daniel-cussen 5y ago
Same, I was ready to get my mind blown about how Methane molecules got wrangled into solving SAT.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

elkos 5y ago

how does MethaneSAT plans to retrieve their telemetry and payload data?