[HN Gopher] MethaneSAT
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       MethaneSAT
        
       Author : simonebrunozzi
       Score  : 22 points
       Date   : 2021-10-29 19:37 UTC (3 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.methanesat.org)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.methanesat.org)
        
       | freemint wrote:
       | 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 ...
        
       | metaphor wrote:
       | > 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?
        
       | ncmncm wrote:
       | As with most sites built like this one, I come away knowing less
       | than I did when I started. A precis, anyone?
        
         | mturmon wrote:
         | The about page does a pretty good job:
         | 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 wrote:
           | Fine, but they seem to be trying to invite us to participate
           | in some way, but I can't tell how.
        
       | throwaway81523 wrote:
       | 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 wrote:
         | We're not evil ! Less cynically: who pays the bills... I see
         | there's a fund, but anyone knows who owns the fund ?
        
           | gumby wrote:
           | 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.
        
       | [deleted]
        
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       (page generated 2021-10-29 23:01 UTC)