I learned about the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) when I was editor of EOM. We had a long series of about its goals and importance to weather and climate science. It's propsed to be a "satellite system used to monitor global environmental conditions, and collect and disseminate data related to: weather, atmosphere, oceans, land and near-space environment" and to update the aging infrastructure up in the sky now.

I didn't think much about it until Living on Earth, the NPR environmental show (produced right here in Somerville Mass!) rebroadcast a story on how it came to be, well, a big mess: over budget, late and redefined. Six satellites instead of four are on order and five sensors, some aimed at exploring climate change, are no longer on the docket. Have a listen to the story; I think it raises some interesting questions even as we consider the fate of Landsat and growth of commercial imaging.