9 great reads from CNET this week: Satellite science, China crackdown, Facebook as Meta and more

What goes up must send data back down. That, in a nutshell, is why we send satellites into orbit. A case in point: the GOES satellites that NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration use to collect data about weather on Earth.

CNET’s Claire Reilly went behind the scenes to find out how Lockheed Martin is building the latest of those satellites, called GOES-T, which will transmit 30 times more data than its predecessors to help scientists and meteorologists better predict natural disasters. It’s a fascinating look at methods and machinery that are central to our modern way of life.

Her story and the accompanying video are among the many in-depth features and thought-provoking commentaries that appeared on CNET this week. So here you go. These are the stories you don’t want to miss.  

Step inside the clean room where a revolutionary satellite is taking shape

When it launches in 2022, the GOES-T satellite will watch over Earth and give us early warning of natural disasters. But preparing it is an epic task for Lockheed Martin. 

The GOES-T satellite inside the clean room at Lockheed Martin Space headquarters.

John Kim/CNET

China’s great Big Tech experiment

The People’s Republic has spent the last year showing tech titans who’s boss. The unprecedented crackdown offers lessons about what and what not to do.

China President Xi JinpingChina President Xi Jinping

Xinhua News Agency/Getty

Facebook has a new name but the same old problems

Plagued by scandals, Facebook rebrands itself as Meta. The tech giant still must earn back our trust. 

Sign in front of Facebook headquarters gets Meta symbol to replace thumbs-up image.Sign in front of Facebook headquarters gets Meta symbol to replace thumbs-up image.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

What is the iPad Pro, now that new MacBook Pros are here? 

Commentary: Is it a laptop replacement? Is it really pro? It’s got to be something for a starting price of $799.

iPad Pro 2021iPad Pro 2021

Scott Stein/CNET

How science is helping unearth an 80-year-old Holocaust mystery 

Out of the ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto, remnants of resistance emerge, thanks to advanced geoscientific tools and a team determined to keep the horrors of history from fading.  

Jews captured during the suppression of the Warsaw ghetto uprising are marched to the Umschlagplatz for deportation.Jews captured during the suppression of the Warsaw ghetto uprising are marched to the Umschlagplatz for deportation.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration, College Park

Have astronomers found the first planet outside our galaxy? It’s complicated

A new study claims to have detected evidence of a planet outside of the Milky Way. Not everyone is convinced.   


NASA/CXC/A.Jubett

TikTok goes wild: Meet the adventurers taking audiences into the great outdoors

Tech and nature can seem at odds, but not on TikTok.   

TikTokers in the great outdoorsTikTokers in the great outdoors

Screenshots/CNET

Science of fear: Why we love being terrified on Halloween

“We want, as human beings, to have the capacity to experience a range of emotions — fear, being one of them.” 

Pennywise the clown in the movie ItPennywise the clown in the movie It

Warner Bros. Pictures

Is the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion pack worth it? 

Commentary: The answer isn’t as straightforward as you think…

Nintendo 64 controllerNintendo 64 controller

Nintendo


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