Satellites : general discussion and musings

If NASA faked the moon landings, does the agency have any credibility at all? Was the Space Shuttle program also a hoax? Is the International Space Station another one? Do not dismiss these hypotheses offhand. Check out our wider NASA research and make up your own mind about it all.
simonshack
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by simonshack »

Flabbergasted wrote:
lux wrote:The one technology the public has the hardest time understanding is the technology of lying.
Beautifully put. That´s going straight into my collection of memorable quotes.
Ditto! :)
brianv
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by brianv »

I borrowed your phrase today, it seemed most apt at the time. And properly credited.

Does lying work in a vacuum?
hoi.polloi
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by hoi.polloi »

simonshack wrote:
Flabbergasted wrote:
lux wrote:The one technology the public has the hardest time understanding is the technology of lying.
Beautifully put. That´s going straight into my collection of memorable quotes.
Ditto! :)
Great one.
lux
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by lux »

Glad you like it. :)
simonshack
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by simonshack »

brianv wrote: Does lying work in a vacuum?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I guess you'd have to ask Newton about that - I'm sure he has a Law for it !
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by brianv »

simonshack wrote:
brianv wrote: Does lying work in a vacuum?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I guess you'd have to ask Newton about that - I'm sure he has a Law for it !
I'm afraid it does sometimes. In the vacuum that exists between peoples' ears.
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by fbenario »

brianv wrote: In the vacuum that exists between peoples' ears.
Wonderful!
lux
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by lux »

This is the patch or symbol for the 2d Space Operations Squadron, the USAF unit that "manages the Navstar Global Positioning System satellite constellation for global navigation, time transfer, and nuclear detonation detection." source

Image

I believe that a great deal of thought goes into these military symbols and every detail in them is carefully rendered so I enjoy studying them for insights. In this case I noticed that the "lightning bolt" symbol (which I presume symbolizes transmissions to/from the satellite) is not shown as connecting up with the satellite itself. It appears to travel between two points on the surface (or not too far above it).

Now, one might say the lightning bolt refers to the "Pathways for Peace" caption of the symbol but I can't see using a lightning bolt which clearly symbolizes an energy emission for that.

Oddly, the symbol for the satellite itself seems somewhat religious in nature. Might this be because it is more of a belief than a reality?

And, the shape of the satellite's orbit is also odd. It looks more like a trajectory than an orbit ...

Image


... as if to suggest something shot into space from one side of the planet to then crash on the other side.

Let's see ... using the map tunneling tool I see that the other side of the Earth from Florida USA (where many rockets are said to launch from) is ... the Indian Ocean!

Makes sense. :lol:
hoi.polloi
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by hoi.polloi »

Amusing thought, lux!
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by simonshack »

*

At long last!... NASA imagery with actual, no-nonsense / scientifically sound commentary ! :)


full link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn0J0HZ-CtY

I find this very encouraging. Is this world going to wake up from the NASA-induced mass hypnosis earlier than expected?
lux
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by lux »

Several amusing points in this 1962 newsreel of a "suborbital test of materials for the Echo communications satellite" which was deemed a failure. I especially enjoyed the corny TV pictures of the inflation of the balloon in space allegedly recorded by a "transmitter in the nose of the rocket" as it continued on after releasing the payload and as "scientists at the Cape watch the monitor."


full link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUE4BXhWZfQ

This second newsreel, also dated 1962, shows pretty much the same thing but this time it was called "a complete success." :wacko:


full link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL262bDYlBI
Sukiari
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by Sukiari »

Flabbergasted wrote:^
What a strange place that is!

Image

...and that enormous truck park (or junk yard?) next door!
Here's another one I saw this summer, at the Missoula airport. I saw a third on my big road trip this summer, but I am having difficulty recalling where. I sourced this image on Apple Maps but feel free to use your favorite "satellite" image application and go to Missoula, Montana. It's at the airport just to the SW of the runway marked 29.

Image

If you get out your measuring tool in Google Earth you'll see they are both exactly the same size, and they are clearly identical in configuration. I bet there are plenty more out there.

With enough you might be able to simulate GPS!

EDIT:

I found another one up at McChord AFB in Tacoma (this time image sourced with Google Earth) a little way down and slightly east of runway 16:

Image

It makes me wonder if it is some kind of standardized radar installation? Anyway it is very odd that the active element (you know, the little knob in the middle of a parabolic dish antenna) would aim straight up.
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by Flabbergasted »

Very curious. What could possibly be the purpose of those sixteen posts along the circumference? Reminds one of prehistoric stone circles (just a visual analogy).

Image
(Boscawen Un, St Buryan, Penzance, UK)
hoi.polloi
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by hoi.polloi »

That reminds me of a pretty enormous thing I saw flying over Russia one time. It was a straight white line of immense thickness, I thought it was impossibly straight for something in that otherwise seemingly barren or mountainous region. It had sharp corners and took a 90-degree turn at some point, making me imagine a huge outlined rectangle. Could it have been a landing strip covered in snow? But how and why could it be so huge? If my range of vision was several hundred kilometers between horizons, then the line itself was several hundred kilometers long, as it took up the full range of all possible vision out the window, and it was not possible to see straight down out of the level aircraft. A test track? A long wall or building?

I tried looking in GoogleEarth for this thing but have seen no sign of it. I wish I had paid more attention to the maps. Was I certain we were over Russia? Could it have been closer to Georgia or India or China? I don't know but I remember checking the map and thinking this was Russia. I know that Russia is known for having its own pipeline system, but I was left scratching my head about it. I still wonder. I think there may be many things like this having to do with the technological shape of civilization that we just don't think about.

Forgive me for stretching the limits of 'general thoughts and musings' about satellites. Let me know if it belongs in another thread.
pov603
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Re: Satellites : general discussion and musings

Unread post by pov603 »

You saw an enormous thing fly over Russia and then saw it make a 90-degree turn? :P
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