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ISRO To Launch 10 Satellites Together

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch ten satellites, including eight from abroad, which will be carried by PSLV-C9, on April 28 from Sriharikota.

The cluster of satellites being carried on board the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C9 will also include the advanced remote sensing satellite, Cartosat-2A, which will carry high resolution stereo cameras and scientific instruments and will have intelligence gathering functions.

This will mark the first time that ISRO will attempt a simultaneous launch of ten satellites, ISRO officials said.

The mission will also see the launch of eight micro-satellites. The 5-20 kg satellites have been provided by three European countries, as well as from Canada.

The satellites would be ejected into a 635 km orbit. Cartosat-2A, which is of one metre resolution, would be used for mapping purposes and management of natural resources.

The second Indian satellite of the cluster, weighing 85 kg, was an experimental remote sensing satellite. It would also be used as a platform for trying out advanced technology during the coming launches, the official said.

The launch is scheduled at 0920 hrs from ISRO’s launch port Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on 28 April. ISRO considers the launch very important as it was a major step forward in its commercial launch operations.

Technically also, it is an important mission, as satellites have to be put at the right time in precise orbit one by one.

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Posted in Innovative, Future, Sky, Research, Space, Science, Trends | 1 Comment »

Emirates Launches First In-Flight Mobile Phone Calls

Emirates has become the first commercial airline in the world to provide in-flight mobile telephony service to passengers, the company said.

The first authorized mobile phone call from a commercial flight was made Thursday at 30,000 feet on board an Emirates Airbus A340-300 aircraft flying from Dubai to Casablanca in Morocco. Emirates has received approval from international air safety organizations before adopting the in flight mobiles system developed by AeroMobile.

BlackBerry email and other GPRS data applications will be available later on this year and there’s even a politeness policy enforced making sure that passengers keep their mobiles on silent.  Mobile access will only be enable at cruising altitude, I guess if something does go wrong the pilots will have more time to react and rectify the issue. Mobile services will also be only be enabled on day flights and as usual always be on silent mode while in flight.

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Posted in Sky, Services, Trends, Mobiles, Gadgets, First | No Comments »

US Navy Shoots Down The Crippled Spy Satellite Using Missile

The U.S. Navy successfully blasted a wayward satellite with a heat-seeking missile over the Pacific Ocean Wednesday evening, defense officials announced in a press release. A missile launched from a Navy ship struck a dying U.S. spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific on Wednesday.

The satellite USA-193, also known as NROL-21, was launched into orbit Dec. 14, 2006. Shortly after it reached orbit, ground controllers lost contact with it. Though the satellite’s objective is secret, many figure it is a high-resolution radar satellite intended to produce images for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

The Pentagon submitted orders to shoot down the spacecraft because they said its fuel tank could survive atmospheric reentry and spew 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms) of toxic hydrazine gas over an area about the size of two football fields. The initial view of missile strike indicates it probably did hit the spacecraft’s fuel tank, a defense official said, but whether or not the threat was completely eliminated is unknown at this time.

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Posted in Sky, Astronomy, Future, Research, Science, Space, Science Fiction, Trends | No Comments »

2009 Declared As Year Of Astronomy

The United Nations (UN) 62nd General Assembly proclaimed 2009 the International Year of Astronomy. The Resolution was submitted by Italy, Galileo Galilei’s home country.

The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is an initiative of the International Astronomical Union and UNESCO.

The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009) will be a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture, highlighted by the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei.

The aim of the Year is to stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science under the central theme “The Universe, Yours to Discover”. IYA2009 events and activities will promote a greater appreciation of the inspirational aspects of astronomy that embody an invaluable shared resource for all nations.

The IYA2009 activities will take place at the global and regional levels, and especially at the national and local levels. National Nodes in each country have been formed to prepare activities for 2009. These Nodes establish collaborations between professional and amateur astronomers, science centres, educators and science communicators in preparing activities for 2009. Well over 140 countries are expected to take part in the activities in 2009.

To help coordinate this huge global programme, and to provide an important resource for the participating countries, the IAU has established a central Secretariat and this website as the principal IYA resource for public, professionals, and media alike.

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Posted in Astronomy, Sky, Research, Science, Space | No Comments »

Google: From Earth To The Stars

Google launched Sky, a new feature that enables users of Google Earth to view the sky as seen from planet Earth, through a partnership with the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, the science operations center for Hubble. To access the new feature, users will need to download the newest version of Google Earth, available free of charge.

With about a hundred million stars and two hundred million galaxies, Sky in Google Earth lets you explore the heavens like never before. Sky will allow astronomers a chance to glide through images of more than one million stars and 200 million galaxies.

With Earth’s new Sky feature, you can:
* Zoom in to distant galaxies and nebulae
* View constellations and the movements of the planets
* Learn about the lifecycle of a star and different kinds of galaxies
* Create and share your own imagery, placemarks and more

See the product demo video below:

Related news on badastronomy.com, Tehrani

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Posted in Video, Astronomy, Sky, Google, Space | No Comments »