SATCOMBLOG

Jules Verne and Through The keyhole.

2008-04-23T09:24:00.013+01:00

St George's Day and time to reflect on the last few weeks !

On April 3 I managed to capture the first ground based images of ESA's Jules Verne space freighter just hours after it docked with the International Space Station.

A week later a gap in the clouds allowed me a glimpse of a US spy sat , USA 129
"129" is one of the Keyhole series of satellites used for near real time hi resolution imagery.
Long thought to be similar to the Hubble Space Telescope , but looking down to Earth rather than out into space , the image below clinches it....

Featuring a long optical tube , with solar panels either side , USA 129 is about four to five metres across .

To read more about the Keyhole series take a look at

http://www.spacetoday.org/Satellites/YugoWarSats.html

2008-03-25T13:24:00.002Z

More from the video archives...

On the front line , northern Iraq ,March 2003 . A TV
reporter and cameraman , so close to the action that
they couldn't use camera lights to illuminate the
uplink.

As a result the satellite Control Room ( MCR ) back in
the UK could not see them.

The MCR has a video wall with dozens of active
screens.....the problem , getting staff at MCR to zero
in on the right screen!
They find a novel way to attract attention [ Low audio level ]

2008-03-22T15:23:00.004Z

Here's a bit of light relief for a Saturday afternoon , continuing the theme of Sir Arthur's legacy.

Standing on a rooftop in Baghdad , in the pouring rain during the Gulf conflict , waiting to go live , this Spanish reporter has some fun with an umbrella and reluctant assisitant!

2008-03-21T09:33:00.006Z

Space shuttle Endeavour is nearing the end of its present stay at the International Space Station.

Earlier in the mission both ISS and Endeavour could be seen , naked eye , over the UK.

Take a look at the image ( right ) . It was taken on March 13 , using a webcam equipped telescope , about an hour after the two craft docked.

Flying into an orbital sunrise Endeavour is easy to see . We are looking at it end on , with the tail fin and darker OMS pods just visible.

You can see many other images and videos of spacecraft on my main website.

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/satcom_transits/March2005.html

ISS will be a feature in UK skies again in early April .By then Endeavour will have departed , but ESAs Automated Transfer vehicle ( ATV ) will be making its first approach and docking.

Why not make a note in your diary to pop back to SATCOMBLOG nearer the time for further information.

2008-03-20T22:53:00.006Z

Here is another clip of Sir Arthur , this time from March 1997 when , again via satellite link , he opened a new building at DERA , named after him.

2008-03-20T09:49:00.004Z

I had hoped that my first Blog entry would be on a happier note , but the events of the last couple of days dictate that I start off SatcomBlog with a tribute to a man who influenced the world of satellite like no other. Sir Arthur Clarke.

What better way than to see him in action , during the mid 1990s ..... a satellite link up with NASA's JPL as he talks to , amongst others , Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.