Rocket Launch Today: What's the Point?
Alright, another billion-dollar space mission to "monitor rising sea levels." Give me a break. Sentinel-6B, following in the footsteps of its twin, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich (catchy name, I know), is blasting off to measure the ocean with cloud-penetrating radar. Cool. So what?
The Inconvenient Truth (They Won't Tell You)
NASA's Karen St. Germain says this info "underpins navigation, search and rescue, and industries like commercial fishing and shipping." Okay, that's the real reason, huh? Not, you know, the looming climate catastrophe that everyone's tiptoeing around. The article even points out how mission officials are avoiding the C-word due to "Trump Administration policies." As if that's still relevant.
Seriously, are we supposed to believe this is just about helping fishermen and cargo ships? It's like funding a study on lung cancer and pretending it has nothing to do with smoking.
And a billion dollars split between the US and Europe? That's a lot of scratch for something that, let's be real, feels like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
Falcon 9: The Workhorse of the Apocalypse?
SpaceX is launching this thing, of course. Falcon 9, the reusable rocket that's apparently going to save the planet while simultaneously blanketing the sky with Starlink satellites. This particular booster, B1097, is making its third flight. Which is neat, I guess. Reusability is good, saves money, all that jazz. It'll land 1,400 feet from where it took off, a real feat of engineering, offcourse. SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch international satellite to keep watch on rising sea levels – Spaceflight Now
But here's the thing: all this tech, all this innovation, and we're still just monitoring the problem. We're measuring the water as it creeps higher, taking notes as Miami turns into Atlantis. What's the actual plan here? More data? More reports? At what point do we stop collecting information and start, you know, doing something?
I mean, isn't it kinda obvious at this point? The oceans are rising. Coastal cities are screwed. Maybe, just maybe, we should start investing in moving infrastructure inland instead of launching more satellites.
I saw my neighbor's cat stuck in a tree yesterday. Reminded me I need to get the gutters cleaned. What was I saying? Oh yeah...billion-dollar satellites.
Weather or Not...
The launch was almost scrubbed because of bad weather. Apparently, California's been getting hammered with rain. "One of the wettest places in the United States," according to some Space Force weatherman. Irony, much? A mission to study rising sea levels threatened by...water.
They had a 60% chance of violating weather rules on Sunday. It got better on Monday (40%). Glad they waited, I suppose. Wouldn't want to waste a billion dollars on a satellite that ends up at the bottom of the Pacific.
But seriously, 60%? Are we just rolling the dice with climate change now? Is that the official strategy?
So, Where's the Actual Plan?
This whole thing feels like a giant exercise in denial. We're spending a fortune to meticulously document our own demise. It's like watching a slow-motion train wreck and taking notes on the make and model of each car.
Maybe I'm being too cynical. Maybe this data is crucial for some grand, secret plan to save the world. But honestly, I doubt it. Feels more like a way to keep scientists employed and politicians looking busy while the water keeps rising. And I ain't buying it.