Clipmarks | Rustee's 'space' clips

Since the birth of the Space Age a half-century ago, the space-faring nations of the world have launched thousands of satellites. Most of these artificial moons have fallen back to Earth, but others continue to circle our planet -- in some cases, long after they quit working.

The satellite that’s been in orbit the longest is Vanguard 1, a silver ball that’s not much bigger than a softball. It was launched 50 years ago today. It’s orbited Earth almost 200,000 times, and it’ll probably remain in orbit for another couple of centuries.

Vanguard was designed to measure the shape of Earth and the density of our atmosphere as part of an international project. In fact, it discovered that Earth is slightly pear shaped. But the satellite became an urgent national priority after the Soviet Union launched the first Sputnik in late 1957.

And though it no longer works, Vanguard continues to orbit Earth -- once every two hours.

Clip Source: www.smh.com.au

Tags: science, space

Satellite Shootdown Necessary?

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 01:41:52 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks:

The decision to intercept the U.S. 193 satellite will be debated in the months to come by arms control advocates, opponents and proponents of missile defense, and space experts in the U.S. and abroad. Critics will portray the operation as a staged event that was undertaken just to test missile defense or ASAT technologies under the guise of a humanitarian exercise. They will likely accuse the United States of starting a space arms race and will portray the two ASAT tests as moral equivalents.

Clip Source: www.heritage.org

Earlier this week, over the Pacific Ocean, somewhere off the coast of Hawaii during questionable weather, the Aegis-class Cruiser USS Lake Erie successfully shot down the damaged U.S. 193 military spy satellite with an SM-3 missile.

Skeptics are wrong to suggest that the operation was in response to China's successful--but unannounced--anti-satellite (ASAT) test on January 11, 2007, in which Beijing destroyed one of its own aging weather satellites in low-Earth orbit.

China launched its operation in secret and followed it with two weeks of steadfast denial. The operation littered outer space with an inordinate amount of debris that may orbit Earth for centuries, endangering peaceful space operations. Make no mistake: China's ASAT operation was a clandestine test of the Second Artillery Corps's evolving asymmetric military capability against space assets of potential opponents.

By contrast, the U.S. strategy is defensive.

Tags: military, space, politics

Spitzer Space Telescope Gallery

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 23:26:25 GMT

clipped by: Rustee
clipper's remarks: A collection of pictures from the space telescope that specializes in infrared imaging.

Clipmarks | Rustee's 'space' clips

Magnetospheric Audio

Vanguard 1 - The Oldest (Still Orbiting) Satellite

Satellite Shootdown Necessary?

Spitzer Space Telescope Gallery

A Classic Beauty

Coronet: A Star-Formation Neighbor

Infrared Coronet Cluster

A Supernova's Shockwaves

Multiwavelength M81

Young Stars Emerge from Orion's Head

The Heart of the Rosette

The Seven Sisters Pose for Spitzer

Anomalous Arms

Cosmic Epic Unfolds in Infrared

Eagle Nebula Flaunts Its Infrared Feathers

Chaos at the Heart of Orion

Perseus' Stellar Neighbors

Seeing Stars in Serpens

Amazing Andromeda Galaxy

Orion's Inner Beauty

Cartwheel Galaxy Makes Waves

The Milky Way Center Aglow with Dust

Chaotic Star Birth

NGC 7793

NGC 3627 (M66)

NGC 3351 (M95)

NGC 2976

NGC 1566

Spitzer Spies Spectacular Sombrero

New Lunar Orbital Pic