Orbital Squall

Weather satellites for sale

Ever since Tiros 1, the first of the nation's weather satellites, went up in 1960, these sentinels of the atmosphere have proved invaluable watchdogs. Their advance warnings of hurricanes and tornadoes have saved countless lives and billions of dollars in property. Only this winter the satellites predicted the blizzard in the Northeast and major coastal storms in California. Though meteorology remains inexact, the flood of images from space has made today's 24-hour weather forecasts at least twice as accurate as those of pre-satellite days.

This notable record aside, the Reagan Administration last week hung a FOR SALE sign on the nation's four operational weather satellites as well as on Landsat 4, the satellite whose color views of the planet have provided invaluable information on crops, pollution and mineral deposits. The White House said the man-made orbiters could be operated more efficiently by private firms. The most probable buyer at a price of some $300 million: Comsat, the Communications Satellite Corp., which has expressed an interest in increasing its own satellite network.

To ease concern that the satellite auction might lead to dismantling of the 113-year-old U.S. Weather Service, John V. Byrne, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, its parent agency, promised that the Government would continue to distribute basic weather forecasts without charge. "The man in the street," he said, would still be told "whether he should wear a raincoat." These assurances are not likely to head off a storm in Congress, which must approve the sale. Groups like the National Farm Union are threatening opposition for fear of losing such no-cost services as frost warnings. Scientists are concerned not only that the amount of data available for weather research will dwindle drastically, but that the U.S. will no longer exchange meteorological information freely with other nations. Consumer Advocate Ralph Nader calls the plan "a rip-off of the American taxpayer" because, as the Administration acknowledges, the Government would buy back up to 95% of the data from the new owner.

Byrne and other Administration officials insist that the sale will mean "significant savings" to the taxpayer. In fiscal 1984, the estimated cost of operating all satellites will be about $200 million. At present, the White House cannot estimate how much the Government would save by buying satellite data. To look into such questions, Congress plans to launch hearings, an action that could scrub the Administration's plan before it lifts off the pad. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.