One of the fascinating things about government IT is the extent to which the government's investments in technology and research benefit society as a whole. The government has always provided much of the funding for the type of basic scientific research that has led to development of technologies like personal computers or the Internet. The scientific community relies heavily on the government to provide resources that would otherwise be unavailable. Which is why it's peculiar that the Pentagon has decided to stop sharing data on incoming meteors with astronomers:
Nature's Geoff Brumfiel has an excellent story on how the Pentagon apparently ended an informal arrangement with astronomers that gave the scientists access to data from the Defence Support Program satellite network, part of the Pentagon's early-warning system. Those satellites (pictured here) can detect missile launches or atmospheric nuclear blasts, but they are also great for spotting meteors as they flame out in the Earth's atmosphere.
The US military has abruptly ended an informal arrangement that allowed scientists access to data on incoming meteors from classified surveillance satellites. The change is a blow to the astronomers and planetary scientists who used the information to track space rocks, especially those that burn up over the oceans or in other remote locations.
A recent US military policy decision explicitly states that observations by hush-hush government spacecraft of incoming bolides and fireballs are classified secret and are not to be released.
For 15 years, scientists have benefited from data gleaned by U.S. classified satellites of natural fireball events in Earth's atmosphere but no longer. A recent U.S. military policy decision now explicitly states that observations by hush-hush government spacecraft of incoming bolides and fireballs are classified secret and are not to be released. The satellites' main objectives include detecting nuclear bomb tests, and their characterizations of asteroids and lesser meteoroids as they crash through the atmosphere has been a by-product data bonanza for scientists.
Incoming Space Rocks Now Classified For 15 years, scientists have benefited from data gleaned by U.S. classified satellites of natural fireball events in Earth's atmosphere - but no longer. A recent U.S. military policy decision now explicitly states that observations by hush-hush government spacecraft of incoming bolides and fireballs are classified secret and are not to be released. The satellites' main objectives include detecting nuclear bomb tests, and their characterisations of asteroids and lesser meteoroids as they crash through the atmosphere has been a by-product data bonanza for scientists.