After more than seven years of service as NOAA’s official GOES East satellite, GOES-13 stepped aside last Monday (January 8) to let its younger successor GOES-16 take the lead. It’s now in an on-orbit storage location where it will stay until needed again as a backup satellite.

GOES, short for Geosynchronous Operational Environmental Satellites, uses geosynchronous equatorial satellites to monitor and observe Earth from a fixed location in space. These satellites orbit about 22,000 miles above Earth, with the main mission of observing and monitoring the near-Earth solar-terrestrial electromagnetic environment. NOAA owns and operates the GOES system, with NASA overseeing research and development, satellite design, and procurement.

The first GOES satellite, SMS-1, was launched in 1974 and was the first to use spin-stabilized instruments to view Earth from different perspectives. Later, more advanced GOES satellites used more sophisticated instrumentation to collect a variety of data, including cloud thickness, moisture content, atmospheric temperature and pressure, and more.

One of the more remarkable innovations was a technology called the Space Weather Imaging System, or SXI. This instrument provided a high-cadence, near real time image of the Sun and solar phenomena like coronal holes and flares that affect Earth’s environment. In the early 2000s, this information was very important in supporting the nation’s Space Environment Services Center (SESC).

SXI was damaged by a solar flare in 2006, however, and NOAA engineers developed a new system to monitor the Sun and its effects. It is now the primary source of information for the Space Environment Management Office (SEMAO), the agency responsible for the nation’s space weather operations and services.

Go was brought to the West by German mathematicians and game enthusiasts in the early 1900s. The game quickly caught on and became very popular in the U.S., thanks to a number of highly skilled players, such as Otto Korschelt and Edward Lasker, cousin of the legendary chess champion Emanuel Lasker. The American Go Association was founded in New York in 1937.

Go has also had a long history in Japan, with play beginning there in 1000 A.D. The game reached its heyday in the 1600s, when warlord Tokugawa unified Japan. He decreed that four schools of go be established and supported, allowing top players to compete against each other in a tournament every year. The event gave rise to a system of professional go play, with matches and game analysis featured in newspapers on a daily basis. Today, the game is hugely popular in both countries, with millions of players worldwide. Learn more about the history of GOES and its predecessors from this UW/SSEC library page. (Opens in a new tab).

When we think of nice, the first thing that comes to mind is someone who tries to be polite and respectful towards others. This is a good trait, because it shows that you value the other person’s opinion and you are willing to give up your own desires in order to make them happy. However, there is more to being nice than just respecting the opinions of those around you. In fact, there are some people who go so far as to be nice for the sole purpose of getting a positive feedback loop from others. This can lead to some negative side effects, especially if they don’t take the time to really listen to what those around them have to say.

A big part of being nice is showing interest in others and wanting to be and help them in any way you can. This can be as simple as holding the door for a stranger or bringing donuts to work for your coworkers on Friday. You might also be the kind of person who asks your friends how they’re doing in general, rather than just asking about a specific issue.

Regardless of how you define nice, there is one common element that most people share: they try to build group solidarity. This means that they want to be there for everyone in the group, even if they don’t know the other person very well. This sense of unity is a powerful force that can bring people together and create a strong bond.

The problem with this type of mentality is that it can cause you to repress your true feelings, and these feelings will eventually come out, usually in an intense emotional outburst. This can be a frustrating experience for those who are trying to be nice, because they’ve put so much effort into being kind and respectful, only to have these emotions bubble over.

Another aspect of being nice is being generous. This can be something as small as dividing your dessert in half so you can share it with someone else, or something larger like volunteering your time and resources to charity. You might be the kind of person who always remembers to bring a bottle of water for those without, or who takes the time to chat with coworkers and classmates about their day instead of just focusing on work.

Finally, nice people are patient. They know that it can take a while for some people to open up, and they’re willing to give them space as needed. They are also less likely to gossip, because they understand that talking badly about people behind their back is never fair. It might be tempting to talk negatively about someone who did you wrong, but you should always wait until they are no longer around to do so. Being nice is more than just a way to get others’ approval; it’s a way of life that can help you feel happy and satisfied with your own existence.