Latest news with #Landsat
Politico
5 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
The domino effect of Trump's NASA climate cuts
President Donald Trump wants to decimate NASA's climate research capacity. That could ultimately disrupt multiple sectors of the economy, writes Scott Waldman. In the White House budget documents released last week, Trump proposed slashing a quarter of NASA's funding, specifically targeting the agency's research on climate change. But many of NASA's instruments that track human-caused climate change provide other critical data. The agriculture industry, for example, relies on satellites and instruments that not only track climate change but also keep tabs on shifts in climatic zones that affect plant growth. Trump wants to eliminate funding that keeps those tools operational. Trump has proposed axing NASA's Surface Geology and Biology mission, which monitors methane and carbon pollution but also hunts for and identifies deposits of critical minerals. Also endangered is NASA's Landsat satellite program, which provides key data on water levels and distribution as well as the ways global warming is altering Earth. 'Whether you believe in climate change or human-induced impacts on climate or not, these are atmospheric gases that have an impact on the composition of the Earth,' Richard Eckman, a veteran of NASA's Earth Science Division, told Scott. 'It's very depressing to me to think that we're writing off the future of NASA Earth Observing missions from space,' he said. Eckman also questioned the proposal to cut fully functioning satellites already in orbit. Such probes typically cost billions of dollars to build but comparatively little money to maintain once they've launched. A White House budget proposal often undergoes drastic revisions, with Congress using it as a starting point for its annual spending bills. But congressional Republicans have so far shown little willingness to deviate from Trump's vision — and if they do, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought has said his office may withhold the funding it wants to cut anyway. That would likely add another legal fight to a growing list as the Trump administration repeatedly challenges Congress' power of the purse. It's Wednesday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@ Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Josh Siegel and Kelsey Tamborrino break down where the Senate stands on rolling back Biden-era clean energy tax credits in Trump's spending bill. Power Centers How Trump's megabill hits clean powerThe Senate is starting to weigh changes to the House megabill that passed last month with billions of dollars' worth of tax credits for low-carbon energy hanging in the balance, writes Christa Marshall. A critical group of moderate Republicans says the Senate should reconsider the House's rapid phasedown of tax credits for wind, solar and battery manufacturing, among other clean energy sources. But GOP leaders are facing pressure from fiscal hawks to make deeper spending cuts. More sanctions for RussiaEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is prepared to work with the United States to impose sanctions on Russia to pressure President Vladimir Putin to engage in peace negotiations with Ukraine, write Gordon Repinski, Nette Nöstlinger and Koen Verhelst. The EU is planning its 18th package of sanctions against Russia, and von der Leyen said: 'We are primarily concerned with sanctioning Russian energy and drying up Russia's sources of finance.' In Other News Coastal town turmoil: How oil giants are ruining a small 'slice of heaven' town in Texas. Saline overload: A salt crisis is looming for U.S. rivers. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. The parent of Facebook and Instagram announced it signed a 20-year agreement to buy power from a Constellation Energy nuclear plant in Illinois to help run the technology giant's data centers. House Republican appropriators have proposed deep cuts to many agriculture programs, seeking to slash the Agriculture Department's 'climate hubs' while also targeting resilience for natural disasters in military and veterans funding. Trump's decision to double steel import tariffs to 50 percent is a misguided blow to America's allies, the EU's chief trade negotiator said Wednesday. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
Newsweek
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Satellite Image Shows US Air Power Buildup at Island Base Near Iran
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. New satellite images showed U.S. forces increasing their air power at an Indian Ocean base that could be a staging point for any attack on Iran, according to an open source intelligence analyst. Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) for comment. Why It Matters Ongoing activity at the Diego Garcia airbase, a strategic operating location for both the U.K. and British armies, comes amid tensions with Iran over its nuclear program. Although nuclear talks continue, President Donald Trump has threatened military action if diplomacy fails to produce a new agreement on curbs that could prevent it obtaining nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, Iran has ramped up its military buildup, threatening U.S. targets in the region in the event of any attack. Imagery captured on May 24, 2025, by U.S. Landsat satellites shows U.S. military aircraft positioned at an air base on the island of Diego Garcia, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. Imagery captured on May 24, 2025, by U.S. Landsat satellites shows U.S. military aircraft positioned at an air base on the island of Diego Garcia, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. Landsat/Sentinel Hub What To Know The U.S. Air Force has recently augmented its aerial refueling capabilities at Diego Garcia, deploying additional KC-135 Stratotankers to the strategic Indian Ocean base, according to satellite imagery shared by open-source intelligence analyst MT Anderson on X. 🇺🇸NSF Diego Garcia🇺🇸 4x B-52s still operating out of Diego Garcia While resolution is too low for a positive ID, likely spot of 2-3x F-15s 7x Additional aircraft, likely to include KC-135, C-5M and potentially C-17 Src📷: @USGSLandsat 24 May 2025 — MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) May 27, 2025 A recent deployment of F-15 fighter jets adds to a growing U.S. military buildup at Diego Garcia, where four B-52 bombers and a contingent of six B-2 stealth bombers operate. In March, satellite imagery showed the deployment of C-17 cargo planes as well as KC-135 refueling tankers. The remote airbase, over 2,000 miles away from Iran, hosts Space Force operations and is a key port for U.S. Navy vessels, including nuclear submarines, and shelters a Sealift Command Prepositioning Ship Squadron. Tehran has yet to unveil a platform capable of reaching that range, but as a significant missile power, it continues to make strides in expanding long-range capabilities. The status of Diego Garcia has recently been in question and the subject of heated political debate with Britain signing an agreement last week to had sovereignty of the contested Chagos islands — of which it is a part — to Mauritius. Britain says that the agreement will ensure the future of the air and naval base and allow its contimued use by the United States. What People Are Saying Commander Matthew Comer, Indo-Pacific Command spokesperson, told Newsweek earlier: "We have multi-layered defense systems on Diego Garcia that ensure the security and protection of our personnel and equipment." What Happens Next Beyond Iran, the continued U.S. buildup at Diego Garcia signals broader power projection with a potential view to threats in the Red Sea, activity by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen and China's growing naval reach in the Indian Ocean.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Trump's proposed satellite cuts raise questions about the fate of EROS in South Dakota
The exterior of the Earth Resources Observation and Science Center near Sioux Falls. (Courtesy of USGS EROS Center) A preliminary budget request from President Donald Trump takes aim at a satellite program with a 50-year history whose data is housed just northeast of Sioux Falls, at a facility employing hundreds of people. Trump's discretionary budget request for NASA would cut $1.1 billion in funding for Earth observation programs, including what the request describes as cuts to the 'gold-plated, two billion dollar Landsat Next' mission. The cut amounts to roughly half of the space agency's budget for Earth observation, which includes money for Landsat design. Landsat Next is planned as the next generation of Landsat, whose nine iterations have created the longest continuously collected Earth observation record in history. The first satellite launched in 1972. NASA builds and launches Landsat satellites. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) operates them and curates the data collected by them. The USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center near Sioux Falls has housed Landsat data since 1973, in addition to millions of images from other satellites and modern and historical aerial imagery, all of which is accessible at no cost to users. Landsat's free data is used to calibrate data from commercial satellites, contributing to what the USGS calculated last fall as a $25.6 billion return on public investment since the agency began freely sharing data in 2008. The most recent satellite in the series, Landsat 9, entered low-earth orbit in 2021. Between that satellite and its near-identical predecessor, Landsat 8, the system gathers new imagery data of the entire Earth's surface — as well as imagery from spectral bands like infrared that are invisible to the naked eye and measurements of Earth surface temperatures — every eight days. Landsat Next was set to launch around 2030, with improvements in resolution and speedier repeat image collection. Trump's budget request would 'restructure' the Landsat Next mission 'while NASA studies more affordable ways to maintain the continuity of Landsat imagery, which is used by natural resource managers, States, and industry.' The request also calls for the elimination of $562 million in USGS funding. The change 'eliminates programs that provide grants to universities, duplicate other Federal research programs and focus on social agendas (e.g., climate change) to instead focus on achieving dominance in energy and critical minerals,' Trump's budget request says. The cut to USGS amounts to about a third of its $1.6 billion budget. The budget request is separate from the federal government's efforts under Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to pare down the federal workforce. Probationary employees across multiple federal agencies were first dismissed in February, but many returned to the federal payroll and placed on paid administrative leave after legal challenges. It's unclear how those moves to reduce the federal workforce have impacted the EROS Center. Around 600 government employees and contractors work at the center, according to the latest figures posted on the USGS website, but the site including that figure hasn't changed since March 2023. Emails from South Dakota Searchlight to USGS press contacts at EROS and in regional and national offices on the number of employees who've departed since Jan. 25 went unanswered. The biggest thing you've never heard of: How EROS changed the world from a cornfield Searchlight also asked about the potential impact of the USGS budget cut proposal to EROS science programs, and about how changes to the Landsat program could affect EROS. A NASA spokesperson told South Dakota Searchlight that the agency would be in a better position to respond 'once we receive the President's full budget request in the coming weeks.' U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, pointed out that presidential budget requests are 'aspirational' and 'rarely implemented as written.' 'Dusty will continue to be supportive of Landsat's efforts in Congress,' said a Johnson spokesperson. The NASA budget has not emerged as a discussion point in budget reconciliation talks underway in Washington, D.C., on Trump's so-called 'big, beautiful bill.' U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, sounded similar notes in his response to questions about Landsat. 'The president's discretionary budget is just that — discretionary. It outlines the president's priorities and wish lists, but it will ultimately be our job in Congress to set the budget and appropriate federal dollars,' Rounds said in an emailed statement. Representatives for Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota did not return emails requesting comment on Landsat and EROS. Republican South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden told Searchlight during a visit to Sioux Falls recently that he hadn't heard about requested cuts to the satellite program or to the USGS. Even so, Rhoden said he trusts that an open relationship with the Trump administration on South Dakota's priorities will help preserve them through budget negotiations. 'They give you some wiggle room as far as what your priorities are, and so I'm kind of optimistic that they are tempering some of those decisions with common sense,' Rhoden said. Trump's actions have had at least one public impact on EROS, though not an operational one. EROS is home to a supercomputer whose processing power is shared across multiple arms of the Department of Interior. The system came to EROS with the name Denali, named after the tallest peak in the U.S. Like the Alaska mountain after which the computer was named, the Denali system at EROS was renamed 'McKinley' after the issuance of a Trump executive order. Denali has long been the mountain's name among Alaska's Indigenous Athabascans, but the federal government embraced the name given to it by a prospector for about 100 years. The prospector called it 'Mount McKinley,' after then-presidential candidate William McKinley. President Barack Obama renamed it Denali in 2015, matching the name the surrounding national park had taken nearly 40 years earlier. The order does not mention the USGS or supercomputers, but rather instructs the Department of Interior to 'update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect the renaming and reinstatement of Mount McKinley.' The EROS supercomputer's name was changed based on the order, however. 'Pursuant to President Trump's Executive Order No. 14172, 'Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness,' this supercomputer has been renamed to McKinley,' a poster in the EROS visitor area now reads. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
India Today
10-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Visual explainer: Significance of Pakistan military sites hit by Indian forces
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has hit at least six military and aviation sites in Pakistan's Punjab and Sindh provinces overnight, damaging key infrastructure that could have been used against India. So, what's the significance of these facilities? What critical equipment and facilities do they have?Pakistan air force bases in Rafiqui, Murid, Nur Khan, Chunian in Punjab and Sukkur in Sindh province were targeted by Indian missiles, the government said. The run of an airport in Rahim Yar Khan – that is situated within 100 km of the International Border – was also damaged with the missile impact, leaving a large crater. advertisementUsing a viral video and satellite images, India Today has geolocated the potential location on the Rahim Yar Khan airport's runway where the Indian missile fell on the intervening night of May 9 and May 10. India appears to have also hit the runway of Mushaf airbase in Sargodha, according to satellite imagery captured by Landsat satellite at around 11:20 am on Saturday. The attack on this air base was not announced in a press conference held by the government around an hour ago. advertisement Nur Khan air base: The most important of these bases is the one in Nur Khan, Pakistan Punjab. It's home to Pakistan's main transport squadrons and is used for logistical and strategic airlift operations. Transport aircraft like C-130 Hercules and Saab 2000, and IL-78 mid-air refuelers along with aircraft to ferry VIPs. Nur Khan air base also houses a pilot training school and an aircraft maintenance facility. It is responsible for securing Pakistan's skies around Islamabad and the northern regions. This air base is essential for rapid deployment and mobility. Murid air base: It serves as a key facility for maintaining the operational readiness of Pakistan's air assets in the region bordering India. It is home to a fleet of fighter jets and drones. Shahpar 1, Shahpar 2, Burraq, Falco, Bayraktar TB2S, Bayraktar Akinci, CH-4, and Wing Loong 2 are among Pakistan's high-end drone stationed at this air base. During a special briefing on the escalating conflict, Colonel Sophia Qureshi stated that Pakistan attempted to strike 26 strategic sites throughout the night, including air bases and transport hubs. A high-speed missile was also fired at an airbase in Punjab at around 1.40 am, while attacks on civilian infrastructure were reported at the medical centres and school premises near Srinagar, Awantipora, and Udhampur airbases. Colonel Qureshi highlighted that Pakistan persistently engaged India's western front using drones, fighter aircraft, and long-range artillery. Indian forces, maintaining a posture of restraint, responded only against "pre-identified military targets", including technical infrastructure, command and control centres, radar installations, and weapon storage sites. These included strikes on radar sites at Pasrur and the Sialkot aviation base using precision-guided ammunition launched from fighter InTrending Reel
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
This NASA tool writes your name with satellite imagery. Where in the world is yours?
Where in the world is your name? NASA's got the answer. No joke — one NASA tool lets you spell out your name using real satellite images from around the globe. Each letter comes with its own coordinates, so you can actually see where in the world the letters in your name are secretly hiding. Here's an example using Texas. T – Found in Liwa, United Arab Emirates (Coordinates: 23°10'30.0 N, 53°47'52.8 E) E – Found in the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia (Coordinates: 54°42'50.3 N, 136°34'20.4 E) X – Found in the Davis Strait, Greenland (Coordinates: 62°14'14.8 N, 49°34'49.9 W) A – Found in Lake Mjøsa, Norway (Coordinates: 60°45'57.7 N, 10°56'43.2 E) S – Found in the Rio Chapare, Bolivia (Coordinates: 16°56'04.7 S, 65°13'44.2 W) Try it out — you might be surprised where your name turns up. Landsat is a decades-long satellite program run by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. It captures high-resolution images of Earth's surface, helping scientists monitor changes in the environment, cities, and natural resources. This tool on the NASA website uses real Landsat imagery to find letter-shaped landforms — like rivers, ridges or coastlines — to spell out your name. Just head over to the website, type in your name and watch as NASA spells it out using real satellite images. There's no limit to how many times you can use the tool (although some letters are repeated more than others), so feel free to make one for yourself, your friends, your dog or your entire group chat. Then, hover over each letter to see the coordinates and pinpoint exactly where in the world your name is hiding. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: This NASA tool writes names with satellite imagery. How to make yours
