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The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-12) operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is going offline. It has been running since 2001, and the NOAA says that it has seen everything from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to even New York's Hurricane Sandy. Why did it lose its job we wonder? NOAA explains:
"When NOAA decommissions a geostationary satellite like GOES-12, it is boosted further into orbit, the remaining fuel is expended, the battery is disabled and the transmitters are turned off. These maneuvers reduce the chances the satellite will collide with other operational spacecraft. Additionally, decommissioning lowers the risk of orbital debris and stops the satellite from transmitting any signals that could interfere with any current or future spacecraft."
You can check out a timelapse of some 3,641 images sped to show how much bad weather we've went through for the 10 years.