Winter is coming…shifty interstellar winds

The Huffington Post posted this article today. According to the expert, “it could be a harbinger of more dramatic changes in our solar system.” Probably true, if only because things happening in space tend to be dramatic to begin with. But the statement seems a little OVER dramatic–maybe he needs attention, funding or both? Our […]

Why space matters: Imaging satellite operations, part 10–short bus schooling

Labor Day took its toll, but I’m back to write more (hopefully) interesting articles for you. What a space operator should know about satellite systems and space operations fills several volumes of books, folders and checklists. But, in essence, a space operator and space operations crew worries about three things: the satellite ground system, the […]

A few satellites, simulated, to play with

One of my friends showed me the National Reconnaissance Office’s kids website. I know some of you know a lot about space, but some might like taking a gander, anyway. I think it’s really meant for children, so unfortunately a lot of the explanations and narration seems very simple. But that can be a good […]

New Chinese Launch–another three satellites in one.

The Chinese launched another three satellites from Jiuquan (map below), China, according to this article. One supposedly has a electro-optical payload, another has synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and the third has possibly a ELINT/SIGINT payload. All are suspected, according to the NASA Spaceflight.org page, to be used for maritime vehicle tracking. I don’t know, but suspect these are probably going […]

Thanks and good-bye to one of the first space operators

Darn it–the internet and search engines got me on this one. Caught this as soon as I posted it. Of course he died last year, so thanks to anyone shaking their head and bothering to cluck under their breath. Sorry about that! Please just ignore this one. Now I know why I didn’t see this […]