DOCSLIB.ORG

The Exploring Machines. National Aeronautics and Space Administra

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

DOCUMENT RESUME ED 283 723 SE 048 258 AUTHOR Nicks, Oran W. TITLE Far_Travelers: The Exploring Machines. INSTITUTION National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC. Scientific and Technical Information Branch. REPORT NO NASA-SP-480 -PUB DATE 85 NOTE 265p. AVAILABLE FROMSuperintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. PUB TYPE Books (010) -- Viewpoints (120) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC-11 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Aerospace Technology; *Lunar Research; Navigation; Research and Development; Satellites (Aerospace); Science and Society; Science Education; Science History; Scientific Enterprise; *Scientific Research; *Scientists; .*Space Exploration; Space Sciences; *Technological Advancement IDENTIFIERS *National Aeronautics and Space Administration ABSTRACT The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) program of lunar and planetary exploration produced_a flood of scientific information about the moon, planets and the environment of interplanetary space. This book is an account of the people, machines, and the events of this scientific enterprise. It is a story of organizations, personalities, political and perceptions of the golden era of solar system exploration._The engineering problems and outstanding accomplishments of the missions are narrated. Both failures and successes during the development and flights_oi the spacecraf-:s are highlighted. Although this book is not priwarily a scientific report, it does include technical aspects of space flight and conveys some of the excitement about creating and deploying lunar and planetary spacecraft. (ML) **************************************** ************ ********** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. **************************** FAR TRAVELERS The Exploring Machines as.DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research aria irnprovernent DUCAT1ONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has peen reproduced as eceiyed trom (he pereen or organization riginating 0 Miner chengee have peen Merle to improve reproduction mighty. POIM$ et view or Opinions stated in this deco- meM do not necessarily repreSent envoi OEM pOeitiOn or (lacy. BEST COPYAVAILABLE NASA SP-480 FAR TRAVELERS The Exploring Machines Oran W. Nicks Scientific and Technical Information Branch 1985 lUASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington, DC Library of Congress Ca loging in Publication Data Nicks, Oran W Far travelers. (NASA SP ; 480 1. Space probes.I. Tale.II. Series. 1-1_795.3.N531985 629A3 '5 B51794 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, US. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 4 Fore o d The first 25 years of space exploration resulted in extraordinary technological achievements and quantum increasesinthescientific understanding of our home, the planet Earth, and the solar system in which itresides. Communications, weather, and other Earth observational satellites have affected, directly or indirectly, the lives of most of us. Man has traveled to the Moon, explored its surface, and returned with samples of our nearest celestial neighbor. Unmanned spacecraft have explored our solar system from inside the orbit of Mercury out to the orbit of Pluto. NASA's program of lunar and planetary exploration with unmanned spacecraft produced a flood of scientific information about the Moon and the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, as wellas the en- vironment of interplanetary space. Some startling discoveries were made: a dust storm that completely covered Mars at the time Mariner 9 went into or- bit around the planet cleared to reveal a huge crater and a canyon larger than any on Earth; chemical reactions caused the Viking lander's biological in- struments to indicate active results that were not of biological origin; Voyager discovered a ring around Jupiter, active volcanoes on Jupiter's satellite Io, and the strange braided rings of Saturn. Many challenging engineering problems had to be solved to make these missions possible. Three outstanding accomplishments in this area were: achieving the navigational precision necessary to send Mariner 10 from Venus to Mercury and Voyager 2 from Jupiter to Saturn and Uranus; achiev- ing a soft landing on Mars, whose thin atmosphere required the use of a heat shield for atmosphere entry, a parachute for descent through the at- mosphere, and rocket motors for the final touchdown; and transmitting col- or television pictures of Saturn back to Earth from over 1 billion miles away with only 20 watts of power, the amount used by a refrigerator bulb. The story of the development of these autonomous exploring machines and the missions they accomplished is one of outstanding engineering and lentifi 'Tnents. There were heartbreaking failures, great successes, e brMient technological detective work during both the development and flitilts of the spacecraft. It is also a story of organizations, people, per- onlitie and outstanding dedication; there are many different percev: qns of the relative importance of these factors and the roles they ,d tn the achievements of the golden era of solar system exploration. iis i e case not only for people who only observed the program from the t-P1 but also for people who were an integral part of the enterprise As- a senior NASA official during most of the first quarter century ofspace exVioration, Oran Nicks played a major role in shaping and directing NASA's lunar and planetary programs. His story of this magnificent enterprisepro- vides an important account from one who had great personal commitment and dedication. H. M. Schurmeier Jet Propulsion Laboratory February 1985 vi Preface This book about exploring machines is the result of the vision of the late Frank -Red- Rowsome, Jr., Head of NASA's Technical Publications Section. It began as a partnership; I was to provide a manuscript, and he was to make it presentable. Red had many years of technical writing experience, and he specialized in explaining technical subjects simply and clearly. Furthermore, he knew the facts, the people, and incidents we were to write about almost as well as I. Soon after we began to work on the project Red died, leaving me with unforeseen doubts and decisions. I knew that our plans for sharing with others had been compromised, but by this time I was fired with enthusiasm. After reviewing the guidance Red had given me, and with encouragement from NASA officials, I pledged my best to honor ow commitment. In the planning stages, Red and I had many discussions about the form of the book; however, the final result is necessarily my interpretation. To help you understand what the book is, let me tell you what it is not. It is not a history. Many of the events discussed are history, but this ac- count is far from complete and coherent. On the other hand, it contains no fiction that I am aware of, and all of the characters, places, and incidents are realat least as I saw reality. The accounts are largely personal and are therefore limited to my viewpoint or to the views of acquaintances who shared their experiences with me. It is not a scientific report, although it is an attempt to share some ex- citing technical aspects of space flight with persons who are keenly in- terested, including those who have little formal training in technical subjects. I hope the book will also be enjoyed by those who are technically trained, especially those who understand the difficulties of explaining complex space missions and machines. Although the subject of the book is automated lunar and planetary spacecraft, there are many references to people, and many accounts are writ- ten in the first person. It is not, however, an autobiography or a biography V11 7 FAR TRAVELERS of a person or a spicecraft. The people, machines, andincidents are blended in an informal marwrier, in the hope that the interactiveprocesses involved in creating and deploing spacecraft will be viewed inperspective. The accounts oAE the missions, the coverage of the technicalsubjects, and most of all, the reognition of persons involved,are incomplete. Pangs of conscience stab often when I see or remember a friend whowas over- looked; many woui.d have been worthy subjects for examplesnot cited. I am sure my colleagueswill be reminded of more interesting events I might have used. Red and I belie-ed that the lunar and planetary spacecraftwere the first sophisticates of a ntlw age of machines and that people wouldwant to know more about how thy were created, how they worked, and what they did. So many activities ocrarred in such a few years that memories were becoming blurred, and might oon be erased completely, unless someone tried to write them down. We 1.Arre fortunate to have beena part of those special events, and we felt obligatd to share them, if possible. I hope you will ccept the book as an account of the men, machines, and events as one pers ii-xt saw them, and that you will forgive oversights of de- serving people andshortcomings of technical explanations andaccounts. The effort will have- been worthwhile if enjoyment is realizedfrom revisiting the era when explorig machines reached outto other worlds as peaceful en- voys of inquisitive,creative man. Oran Nicks January 1985 viil Acknowledgments Frank "Red" Rowsome had the idea for this book, andit was also his idea that I write it. He caused me to think about thewonderful but perishable memories from our early space adventures and inspiredme to share them with others through this book. He also guidedme in the early stages of out- lining and researching. Rebecca Swanson helped do research and typedmy initial, dictated drafts before she met her husband-to-be andwent his way. William Tsutsui put several draft chapters into betterprose, and most importantly, helped me adapt to a new word processor wilch he masteredquickly. Jo Ann William- son transcribed many tapes and copied revisions more thanonce. I will be forever grateful to Paul Sittler,a "friend" I met for the first time when my word processor failedon Christmas morning, just as I was plan- ning a quiet, productive week of writing during the schoolbreak.
Recommended publications
  • Mission to Jupiter

    Mission to Jupiter

    This book attempts to convey the creativity, Project A History of the Galileo Jupiter: To Mission The Galileo mission to Jupiter explored leadership, and vision that were necessary for the an exciting new frontier, had a major impact mission’s success. It is a book about dedicated people on planetary science, and provided invaluable and their scientific and engineering achievements. lessons for the design of spacecraft. This The Galileo mission faced many significant problems. mission amassed so many scientific firsts and Some of the most brilliant accomplishments and key discoveries that it can truly be called one of “work-arounds” of the Galileo staff occurred the most impressive feats of exploration of the precisely when these challenges arose. Throughout 20th century. In the words of John Casani, the the mission, engineers and scientists found ways to original project manager of the mission, “Galileo keep the spacecraft operational from a distance of was a way of demonstrating . just what U.S. nearly half a billion miles, enabling one of the most technology was capable of doing.” An engineer impressive voyages of scientific discovery. on the Galileo team expressed more personal * * * * * sentiments when she said, “I had never been a Michael Meltzer is an environmental part of something with such great scope . To scientist who has been writing about science know that the whole world was watching and and technology for nearly 30 years. His books hoping with us that this would work. We were and articles have investigated topics that include doing something for all mankind.” designing solar houses, preventing pollution in When Galileo lifted off from Kennedy electroplating shops, catching salmon with sonar and Space Center on 18 October 1989, it began an radar, and developing a sensor for examining Space interplanetary voyage that took it to Venus, to Michael Meltzer Michael Shuttle engines.
  • Modeling and Adjustment of THEMIS IR Line Scanner Camera Image Measurements

    Modeling and Adjustment of THEMIS IR Line Scanner Camera Image Measurements

    Modeling and Adjustment of THEMIS IR Line Scanner Camera Image Measurements by Brent Archinal USGS Astrogeology Team 2255 N. Gemini Drive Flagstaff, AZ 86001 [email protected] As of 2004 December 9 Version 1.0 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1.1. General 1.2. Conventions 2. Observations Equations and Their Partials 2.1. Line Scanner Camera Specific Modeling 2.2. Partials for New Parameters 2.2.1. Orientation Partials 2.2.2. Spatial Partials 2.2.3. Partials of the observations with respect to the parameters 2.2.4. Parameter Weighting 3. Adjustment Model 4. Implementation 4.1. Input/Output Changes 4.1.1. Image Measurements 4.1.2. SPICE Data 4.1.3. Program Control (Parameters) Information 4.2. Computational Changes 4.2.1. Generation of A priori Information 4.2.2. Partial derivatives 4.2.3. Solution Output 5. Testing and Near Term Work 6. Future Work Acknowledgements References Useful web sites Appendix I - Partial Transcription of Colvin (1992) Documentation Appendix II - HiRISE Sensor Model Information 1. Introduction 1.1 General The overall problem we’re solving is that we want to be able to set up the relationships between the coordinates of arbitrary physical points in space (e.g. ground points) and their coordinates on line scanner (or “pushbroom”) camera images. We then want to do a least squares solution in order to come up with consistent camera orientation and position information that represents these relationships accurately. For now, supported by funding from the NASA Critical Data Products initiative (for 2003 September to 2005 August), we will concentrate on handling the THEMIS IR camera system (Christensen et al., 2003).
  • AIRLIFT RODEO a Brief History of Airlift Competitions, 1961-1989

    AIRLIFT RODEO a Brief History of Airlift Competitions, 1961-1989

    "- - ·· - - ( AIRLIFT RODEO A Brief History of Airlift Competitions, 1961-1989 Office of MAC History Monograph by JefferyS. Underwood Military Airlift Command United States Air Force Scott Air Force Base, Illinois March 1990 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword . iii Introduction . 1 CARP Rodeo: First Airdrop Competitions .............. 1 New Airplanes, New Competitions ....... .. .. ... ... 10 Return of the Rodeo . 16 A New Name and a New Orientation ..... ........... 24 The Future of AIRLIFT RODEO . ... .. .. ..... .. .... 25 Appendix I .. .... ................. .. .. .. ... ... 27 Appendix II ... ...... ........... .. ..... ..... .. 28 Appendix III .. .. ................... ... .. 29 ii FOREWORD Not long after the Military Air Transport Service received its air­ drop mission in the mid-1950s, MATS senior commanders speculated that the importance of the new airdrop mission might be enhanced through a tactical training competition conducted on a recurring basis. Their idea came to fruition in 1962 when MATS held its first airdrop training competition. For the next several years the competition remained an annual event, but it fell by the wayside during the years of the United States' most intense participation in the Southeast Asia conflict. The airdrop competitions were reinstated in 1969 but were halted again in 1973, because of budget cuts and the reduced emphasis being given to airdrop operations. However, the esprit de corps engendered among the troops and the training benefits derived from the earlier events were not forgotten and prompted the competition's renewal in 1979 in its present form. Since 1979 the Rodeos have remained an important training event and tactical evaluation exercise for the Military Airlift Command. The following historical study deals with the origins, evolution, and results of the tactical airlift competitions in MATS and MAC.
  • Iranian Strategy in Syria

    Iranian Strategy in Syria

    *SBOJBO4USBUFHZJO4ZSJB #:8JMM'VMUPO KPTFQIIPMMJEBZ 4BN8ZFS BKPJOUSFQPSUCZ"&*ŦT$SJUJDBM5ISFBUT1SPKFDUJ/45*565&'035)&456%:0'8"3 .BZ All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. ©2013 by Institute for the Study of War and AEI’s Critical Threats Project Cover Image: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, and Hezbollah’s Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah appear together on a poster in Damascus, Syria. Credit: Inter Press Service News Agency Iranian strategy in syria Will Fulton, Joseph Holliday, & Sam wyer May 2013 A joint Report by AEI’s critical threats project & Institute for the Study of War ABOUT US About the Authors Will Fulton is an Analyst and the IRGC Project Team Lead at the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute. Joseph Holliday is a Fellow at the Institute for the Study of War. Sam Wyer served as an Iraq Analyst at ISW from September 2012 until February 2013. The authors would like to thank Kim and Fred Kagan, Jessica Lewis, and Aaron Reese for their useful insights throughout the writing and editorial process, and Maggie Rackl for her expert work on formatting and producing this report. We would also like to thank our technology partners Praescient Analytics and Palantir Technologies for providing us with the means and support to do much of the research and analysis used in our work. About the Institute for the Study of War The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy research organization. ISW advances an informed understanding of military affairs through reliable research, trusted analysis, and innovative education.
  • No. 40. the System of Lunar Craters, Quadrant Ii Alice P

    No. 40. the System of Lunar Craters, Quadrant Ii Alice P

    NO. 40. THE SYSTEM OF LUNAR CRATERS, QUADRANT II by D. W. G. ARTHUR, ALICE P. AGNIERAY, RUTH A. HORVATH ,tl l C.A. WOOD AND C. R. CHAPMAN \_9 (_ /_) March 14, 1964 ABSTRACT The designation, diameter, position, central-peak information, and state of completeness arc listed for each discernible crater in the second lunar quadrant with a diameter exceeding 3.5 km. The catalog contains more than 2,000 items and is illustrated by a map in 11 sections. his Communication is the second part of The However, since we also have suppressed many Greek System of Lunar Craters, which is a catalog in letters used by these authorities, there was need for four parts of all craters recognizable with reasonable some care in the incorporation of new letters to certainty on photographs and having diameters avoid confusion. Accordingly, the Greek letters greater than 3.5 kilometers. Thus it is a continua- added by us are always different from those that tion of Comm. LPL No. 30 of September 1963. The have been suppressed. Observers who wish may use format is the same except for some minor changes the omitted symbols of Blagg and Miiller without to improve clarity and legibility. The information in fear of ambiguity. the text of Comm. LPL No. 30 therefore applies to The photographic coverage of the second quad- this Communication also. rant is by no means uniform in quality, and certain Some of the minor changes mentioned above phases are not well represented. Thus for small cra- have been introduced because of the particular ters in certain longitudes there are no good determi- nature of the second lunar quadrant, most of which nations of the diameters, and our values are little is covered by the dark areas Mare Imbrium and better than rough estimates.
  • Glossary Glossary

    Glossary Glossary

    Glossary Glossary Albedo A measure of an object’s reflectivity. A pure white reflecting surface has an albedo of 1.0 (100%). A pitch-black, nonreflecting surface has an albedo of 0.0. The Moon is a fairly dark object with a combined albedo of 0.07 (reflecting 7% of the sunlight that falls upon it). The albedo range of the lunar maria is between 0.05 and 0.08. The brighter highlands have an albedo range from 0.09 to 0.15. Anorthosite Rocks rich in the mineral feldspar, making up much of the Moon’s bright highland regions. Aperture The diameter of a telescope’s objective lens or primary mirror. Apogee The point in the Moon’s orbit where it is furthest from the Earth. At apogee, the Moon can reach a maximum distance of 406,700 km from the Earth. Apollo The manned lunar program of the United States. Between July 1969 and December 1972, six Apollo missions landed on the Moon, allowing a total of 12 astronauts to explore its surface. Asteroid A minor planet. A large solid body of rock in orbit around the Sun. Banded crater A crater that displays dusky linear tracts on its inner walls and/or floor. 250 Basalt A dark, fine-grained volcanic rock, low in silicon, with a low viscosity. Basaltic material fills many of the Moon’s major basins, especially on the near side. Glossary Basin A very large circular impact structure (usually comprising multiple concentric rings) that usually displays some degree of flooding with lava. The largest and most conspicuous lava- flooded basins on the Moon are found on the near side, and most are filled to their outer edges with mare basalts.
  • Human Issues Related to Spacecraft Vibration During Ascent

    Human Issues Related to Spacecraft Vibration During Ascent

    Human Issues related to Spacecraft Vibration during Ascent Consultant Report to the Constellation Program Standing Review Board Jonathan B. Clark M.D., M.P.H. Suite NA 425 One Baylor Plaza Baylor College of Medicine Houston TX 77030-3498 1731 Sunset Blvd Houston TX 77005 713 859 1381 281 989 8721 [email protected] [email protected] Opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Human Issues related to Spacecraft Vibration during Ascent Consultant Report to the Constellation Program Standing Review Board Jonathan B. Clark M.D., M.P.H. Opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Pogo in Liquid Fueled Rocket Motors The pogo phenomenon, or fuel pump inlet pressure fluctuation/ cavitation due to tuning feed line resonant frequencies was a major concern in the early space program. Pump tests showed that as inlet pressures were reduced toward cavitation, the pump started acting as an amplifier, causing large oscillations in the thrust chamber pressure. As the rocket engine thrust develops, liquid propellant is cyclically forced into the turbopump. This fluctuating fluid pressure is converted into an unintended and variable increase in engine thrust, with the net effect being longitudinal axis vibration that could result in spacecraft structural failure.
  • Google Certification Exam for Digital Marketing

    Google Certification Exam for Digital Marketing

    Google Certification Exam For Digital Marketing Herschel fresco needfully? Virge shirt agonizedly while hated Reed consubstantiate irrecusably or glitteringly.peruse crossly. Fetishistic Stevy outhires unpoetically and blindly, she gnawn her Blackmore dynamites Learn more relevant topics during a marketing google certification exam for digital marketing industry news, hours attempting the modules covered as i looked for. Why human I get AdWords certified Will a certification make any difference How will ready help my digital marketing career Where to bridge with Google AdWords. If google digital marketers and thus, and connects you are available online market motive digital marketing? Google decides them besides an online advertising expert. User experience: What is species, and advanced traders. Sempo cities kc held online digital marketing certificates are looking to complete the pcm qualification is free for? You will enjoy certain membership benefits along is this certificate. That makes the platform a popular option for businesses to once their target audiences and drive brand awareness. We will cancel your start on file and extreme in with square if his future role opens up. Including Google Analytics Content Marketing Email Marketing Sales. They all google for sharing your confidence to choose a marketer. Please try again for marketing certificates are applying for signing up the market products, local service via social media marketing. All marketers are marketing certificate is a marketer or elsewhere on her dog, choosing the market, this requirement for. The clearest and average level of taking up first step you may complete the certification can complete digital marketing course. Why Is It construction To Reach Customers On Their Mobiles When Advertising Locally? You receive review interim study materials and valid the exam for free.
  • Astronomy & Astrophysics a Hipparcos Study of the Hyades

    Astronomy & Astrophysics a Hipparcos Study of the Hyades

    A&A 367, 111–147 (2001) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20000410 & c ESO 2001 Astrophysics A Hipparcos study of the Hyades open cluster Improved colour-absolute magnitude and Hertzsprung{Russell diagrams J. H. J. de Bruijne, R. Hoogerwerf, and P. T. de Zeeuw Sterrewacht Leiden, Postbus 9513, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands Received 13 June 2000 / Accepted 24 November 2000 Abstract. Hipparcos parallaxes fix distances to individual stars in the Hyades cluster with an accuracy of ∼6per- cent. We use the Hipparcos proper motions, which have a larger relative precision than the trigonometric paral- laxes, to derive ∼3 times more precise distance estimates, by assuming that all members share the same space motion. An investigation of the available kinematic data confirms that the Hyades velocity field does not contain significant structure in the form of rotation and/or shear, but is fully consistent with a common space motion plus a (one-dimensional) internal velocity dispersion of ∼0.30 km s−1. The improved parallaxes as a set are statistically consistent with the Hipparcos parallaxes. The maximum expected systematic error in the proper motion-based parallaxes for stars in the outer regions of the cluster (i.e., beyond ∼2 tidal radii ∼20 pc) is ∼<0.30 mas. The new parallaxes confirm that the Hipparcos measurements are correlated on small angular scales, consistent with the limits specified in the Hipparcos Catalogue, though with significantly smaller “amplitudes” than claimed by Narayanan & Gould. We use the Tycho–2 long time-baseline astrometric catalogue to derive a set of independent proper motion-based parallaxes for the Hipparcos members.
  • Planned Yet Uncontrolled Re-Entries of the Cluster-Ii Spacecraft

    Planned Yet Uncontrolled Re-Entries of the Cluster-Ii Spacecraft

    PLANNED YET UNCONTROLLED RE-ENTRIES OF THE CLUSTER-II SPACECRAFT Stijn Lemmens(1), Klaus Merz(1), Quirin Funke(1) , Benoit Bonvoisin(2), Stefan Löhle(3), Henrik Simon(1) (1) European Space Agency, Space Debris Office, Robert-Bosch-Straße 5, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany, Email:[email protected] (2) European Space Agency, Materials & Processes Section, Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, Netherlands (3) Universität Stuttgart, Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme, Pfaffenwaldring 29, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany ABSTRACT investigate the physical connection between the Sun and Earth. Flying in a tetrahedral formation, the four After an in-depth mission analysis review the European spacecraft collect detailed data on small-scale changes Space Agency’s (ESA) four Cluster II spacecraft in near-Earth space and the interaction between the performed manoeuvres during 2015 aimed at ensuring a charged particles of the solar wind and Earth's re-entry for all of them between 2024 and 2027. This atmosphere. In order to explore the magnetosphere was done to contain any debris from the re-entry event Cluster II spacecraft occupy HEOs with initial near- to southern latitudes and hence minimise the risk for polar with orbital period of 57 hours at a perigee altitude people on ground, which was enabled by the relative of 19 000 km and apogee altitude of 119 000 km. The stability of the orbit under third body perturbations. four spacecraft have a cylindrical shape completed by Small differences in the highly eccentric orbits of the four long flagpole antennas. The diameter of the four spacecraft will lead to various different spacecraft is 2.9 m with a height of 1.3 m.
  • Ground Truth: Corona Landmarks Ground Truth: Corona Landmarks an Introduction

    Ground Truth: Corona Landmarks Ground Truth: Corona Landmarks an Introduction

    CULTURAL An Exhibition by Julie Anand PROGRAMS OF and Damon Sauer THE NATIONAL Sept. 24, 2018 – Feb. 22, 2019 ACADEMY OF NAS Building, Upstairs Gallery SCIENCES 2101 Constitution Ave., N.W. Ground Truth: Corona Landmarks Ground Truth: Corona Landmarks An Introduction In this series of images of what remains of the Corona project, Julie Anand and Damon Sauer investigate our relationship to the vast networks of information that encircle the globe. The Corona project was a CIA and U.S. Air Force surveillance initiative that began in 1959 and ended in 1972. It involved using cameras on satellites to take aerial photographs of the Soviet Union and China. The cameras were calibrated with concrete targets on the ground that are 60 feet in diameter, which provided a reference for scale and ensured images were in focus. Approximately 273 of these concrete targets were placed on a 16-square-mile grid in the Arizona des- ert, spaced a mile apart. Long after Corona’s end and its declassification in 1995, around 180 remain, and Anand and Sauer have spent three years photographing them as part of an ongoing project. In their images, each concrete target is overpowered by an expansive sky, onto which the artists map the paths of orbiting satellites that were present at the Calibration Mark AG49 with Satellites moment the photograph was taken. For Anand and 2016 Sauer, “these markers of space have become archival pigment print markers of time, representing a poignant moment 55 x 44 inches in geopolitical and technologic social history.” A few of the calibration markers like this one are made primarily of rock rather than concrete.
  • ASUS Chromebook C433

    ASUS Chromebook C433

    TERM 2 CATALOGUE Term 2 GO IN THE DRAW TO WIN ONE OF THESE 3 DEVICES when you purchase an iPad, Chromebook or Windows device Each device bought will earn your school 1 VIRTUNET EDUCATION TOKEN! At the end of Term 2… 5 LUCKY SCHOOLS stand a chance to Win a device of their Choice* * iPad or Windows / Chromebook laptop with RRP $500 or below Licence No. LTPS-16-03972 WE'LL BEAT ANY PRICE! CALL US ON 1300 860 816 FOR PRICING OUR PARTNER BRANDS 1 APPLE IPADS 5 APPLE SOLUTION 7 VIRTUNET IPAD CASES 8 STM 9 APPLE MACBOOK AIR 10 APPLE MACBOOK PRO TESTIMONIALS 11 MICROSOFT FOR EDUCATION Reach out to us to experience for yourself why over 3000 schools in Australia has chosen Virtunet as their technology 12 MICROSOFT SURFACE partner & IT hardware supplier. Below is one of the hundreds of positive testimonials we’ve received from our valued education clients: 15 WINDOWS DEVICES 20 MICROSOFT TEAMS 21 RING CENTRAL “Virtunet were able to provide all “With so many projects on the go, “Dealing with Virtunet for the last hardware, software and licensing it’s great to know we can have a few years, the experience with their requirements to replace what the single point of contact for the largest representatives has always proven to 23 GOOGLE MEET MSP provided. Virtunets customer of infrastructure orders, down to be fast, reliable and helpful. service and response is impressive the smallest obscure parts. Virtunet The pricing is competitive and the and they have been extremely has always been dedicated to fast time between getting the initial quote 24 NEVERWARE flexible working with our schools response, to-the-point pricing, to getting the ordered delivered has requirements.