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The first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. By 2010 thousands of satellites had been launched into orbit around the Earth. These originate from more than 50 countries and have used the satellite launching capabilities of ten nations. A few hundred satellites are currently operational, whereas thousands of unused satellites and satellite fragments orbit the Earth as space debris.

Satellites are used for a large number of purposes. Common types include military (spy) and civilian Earth observation satellites, communication satellites, navigation satellites, weather satellites, and research satellites. Satellite orbits vary greatly, depending on the purpose of the satellite, and are classified in a number of ways. Well-known (overlapping) classes include low Earth orbit, polar orbit, and geostationary orbit.

The infographic below details the satellites orbiting Earth and their country of origin.

Click to enlarge in a new window

*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia page for Satellite.

*Image source.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: satellite & space

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Could We Live On Mars?

February 8th 2010 01:05

Can Mars Be Terraformed?

The answer is yes it probaly could. All that is required is a large budget and 1000 years or so.
Mars was once a warm planet with water and greenhouse gases which are now frozen in the dirt. If these can be released the prcess of warming Mars back up can start.

The project could begin with a series of survey missions, each crew making the 6 month journey to Mars would add a small habitation module to the main Mars base.

After 100 years an atmosphere could be made by releasing Carbon Dioxide now frozen in dirt and polar ice caps. Factories spewing potent green gases and maybe space mirrors focusing sunlight on ice, could start the thaw.

After 200 years rain would fall and water would flow once enough CO2 had been released to traise the atmospheric pressure and warm the planet above freezing. Microbes, algae and lichens could start growing on the rock.

After 600 years flowering plants could be introduced after the microbes had created organic soil and added some oxygen to the atmosphere. Boreal and perhaps even temperate forests might ultimately take root.

After 1000 years energy for cities might come from nuclear power and wind turbines. Martians would be able to go outside only with breathing gear as the oxygen will be too low for a few more thousand years.

click to enlarge

*Image and information sourced from the National Geographic here.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: satellite & space

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The Speed of Light

January 8th 2010 02:07

The speed of light (usually denoted c) is a physical constant. Its value is exactly 299,792,458 metres per second, often approximated as 300,000 kilometres per second or 186,000 miles per second. It is the speed of electromagnetic radiation (such as radio waves, visible light, or gamma rays) in vacuum, where there are no atoms, molecules or other types of matter that can slow it down.

For much of human history, it was not known whether light was transmitted instantaneously or simply very quickly. In the 17th century, Ole Romer first demonstrated that it travelled at a finite speed by studying the apparent motion of Jupiter's moon Io. By 1975, the speed of light was known to be 299,792,458 m/s with a relative measurement uncertainty of 4 parts per billion. In 1983, the metre was redefined in the International System of Units (SI) as the distance travelled by light in vacuum in 1⁄299,792,458 of a second. As a result, the numerical value of c in metres per second is now fixed exactly by the definition of the metre.

To help visualise the speed of light, the image below is a scale model of the Earth and the Moon, with a beam of light travelling between them at the speed of light. It takes approximately 1.26 seconds.

Click to view in a new window

*This article and image are licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. They are sourced from the Wikipedia page for Speed of Light.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: satellite & space

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Average Colour of the Universe

January 6th 2010 01:55

What color is the universe? More precisely, if the entire sky were smeared out, what color would the final mix be? This whimsical question came up when trying to determine what stars are commonplace in nearby galaxies. The answer, depicted above, is a conditionally perceived shade of beige. To determine this, astronomers computationally averaged the light emitted by one of the largest sample of galaxies yet analyzed: the 200,000 galaxies of the 2dF survey. The resulting cosmic spectrum has some emission in all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, but a single perceived composite color. This color has become much less blue over the past 10 billion years, indicating that redder stars are becoming more prevalent. In a contest to better name the color, notable entries included skyvory, univeige, and the winner: cosmic latte.

*Image and information sourced from NASA APOD here.

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Analemma

December 23rd 2009 02:02

Analemma over the Ukraine

An analemma is the figure-8 loop you get when you mark the position of the Sun at the same time each day throughout the year. The tilt of planet Earth's axis and the variation in speed as it moves around its elliptical orbit combine to produce the predictable analemma curve. The top and bottom of the figure-8 correspond to the Solstices -- the Northern and Southern limits of the Sun's sky motion. The two Equinoxes find the Sun at points along the anelemma curve exactly half way between the Solstices. Here, the analemma's Southern portion is partly hidden by mountains.

Analemma over stone ruins of the Tholos at the ancient site of Delphi, Greece.

Analemma over the Temple of Olympian Zeus

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Posted By: Ian - Category: satellite & space

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History of Space Missions

November 11th 2009 02:07

In this one image, you can see every single space exploration mission attempted by man. From the 73 missions to the moon to the lone missions exploring Neptune and Uranus and future "New Horizons" mission to Pluto it's all there. It even demonstrates where our oldest spacecraft such as Voyager 1 and Pioneer 10 are up to now.
Click on the image to appreciate all it has to offer.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: satellite & space

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Space Junk

September 23rd 2009 11:38

Space Junk is the objects in orbit around Earth created by humans, and that no longer serve any useful purpose. They consist of everything from entire spent rocket stages and defunct satellites to explosion fragments, paint flakes, dust, and slag from solid rocket motors, coolant released by RORSAT nuclear powered satellites, deliberate insertion of small needles, and other small particles. Clouds of very small particles may cause erosive damage, like sandblasting. Space "junk" has become a growing concern in recent years, since collisions at orbital velocities can be highly damaging to functional satellites and can also produce even more space debris in the process. This is called the Kessler Syndrome. Some spacecraft, like the International Space Station, are now armoured to mitigate damage from this hazard. Astronauts on space-walks are also vulnerable

There is a surprising amount of Space Junk in orbit, the infographic below sourced from euinfrastructure.com gives a good overview of the what, where and how of space junk

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Magnetic Storms

September 18th 2009 13:53

Associated with solar flares, a geomagnetic storm is caused by a solar wind shock wave which typically strikes the Earth's magnetic field. The solar wind pressure on the magnetosphere will increase or decrease depending on the Sun's activity. These solar wind pressure changes modify the electric currents in the ionosphere. Magnetic storms usually last 24 to 48 hours, but some may last for many days. In 1989, an electromagnetic storm disrupted power throughout most of Quebec—it caused auroras as far south as Texas.

Magnetic storm over Lake LaBerge in Yukon Territory on Feb. 28, 2007

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Perihelion and Aphelion

July 24th 2009 11:54

This year Aphelion, the point in Earth's elliptical orbit when it is farthest from the Sun, occurs tomorrow, July 4th. Of course, that doesn't affect the seasons on our fair planet. Those are determined by the tilt of Earth's axis of rotation and not Earth's distance from the Sun, so July is still winter in the south and summer in northern hemisphere. But it does mean that on July 4th the Sun will be at its smallest apparent size. This composite neatly compares two pictures of the Sun taken with the same telescope and camera on the dates of Perihelion (closest approach) and Aphelion in 2008. The image labels include Earth's distance in kilometers from the Sun on the two dates. Otherwise difficult to notice, the change in the Sun's apparent diameter between Perihelion and Aphelion is clear. The difference amounts to a little over 3 percent.

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World's First Spaceport Begins Construction

July 6th 2009 11:20

Spaceport America

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Apollo Missions

June 17th 2009 04:04

Forty years after the Apollo missions took Neil Armstrong to the moon, we hear from the astronauts who took the iconic images which changed our world and America's national mythology.

Thanks to The Guardian for these images and information

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Best of the Hubble Space Telescope

June 10th 2009 10:50

The Hubble Space telescope was based on a simple idea – to get a powerful lens up above the clouds and atmosphere that get in the way of earth bound telescopes. Over the last 20 years, some of the most incredible images of all time have been beamed down. In a few years the Hubble will be decommissioned and replaced, so let’s look back at the best of the hundred of thousands of Hubble images taken so far. These images and information taken from the Smithsonian Institute. See more pictures here
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Hubble Space Telescope Repair

June 1st 2009 10:57

Astronauts on the Space Shuttle Atlantis have been carrying out repairs via space walks to the Hubble Space Telescope. The most recent walk on May 15th was to supply some new, badly needed gyroscopes and batteries. Replacing Hubble's gyroscopes is the top priority for this final repair mission to the 19-year-old observatory. The gyroscopes are part of the telescope pointing system, and half of the old ones are broken. On the 14th, another two-man team installed a powerful new camera and a computer data unit, after struggling with a stubborn bolt. In all, five spacewalks are planned so that the observatory -- beloved by astronomers and many others for its breathtaking views of the universe -- is at its apex while living out its remaining years. These images and information sourced from the Sacramento Bee here.

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Sunspot

May 29th 2009 07:30

A sunspot is a region on the Sun's surface that is marked by intense magnetic activity, which inhibits convection, forming areas of reduced surface temperature. They can be visible from Earth without the aid of a telescope. Although they are at temperatures of roughly 4,000–4,500 K, the contrast with the surrounding material at about 5,800 K leaves them clearly visible as dark spots.

Sunspot populations quickly rise and more slowly fall on an irregular cycle about every 11 years. Significant variations of the 11-year period are known over longer spans of time. For example, from 1900 to the 1960s the solar maxima trend of sunspot count has been upward; from the 1960s to the present, it has diminished somewhat. The Sun is presently at a markedly heightened level of sunspot activity and was last similarly active over 8,000 years ago

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