Google-sponsored satellite

In 2008, Google launched a satellite called GeoEye-1, marking a significant milestone in the company's quest to provide high-quality satellite imagery to its users. The GeoEye-1 satellite was launched on September 6, 2008, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and it is still operational today. 

The GeoEye-1 satellite is a commercial remote-sensing satellite that provides high-resolution satellite imagery to various customers, including Google. The satellite is capable of capturing images with a resolution of 0.41 meters, which is one of the highest resolutions available in commercial satellites. 

The GeoEye-1 satellite's high-resolution imagery capabilities make it a valuable asset for a variety of applications, including military, environmental, and commercial purposes. With a resolution of 0.41 meters, the satellite can capture detailed images of specific locations on the Earth's surface, which can be used for a variety of purposes. 

For military applications, the GeoEye-1 satellite's high-resolution imagery can be used to monitor potential threats, identify targets, and support military operations. The satellite's high-resolution images can provide military planners with valuable information about potential enemy movements, troop locations, and other critical intelligence. 

For environmental applications, the GeoEye-1 satellite can be used to monitor changes in the Earth's surface, including deforestation, urbanization, and other land-use changes. The high-resolution imagery provided by the satellite can also be used to track natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes, allowing for a more effective response to these events. 

One of the primary purposes of the GeoEye-1 satellite was to enhance Google's Maps and Earth applications, which allow users to explore the world from their computers and mobile devices. The high-resolution imagery provided by the satellite allows users to zoom in and see details such as buildings, roads, and other infrastructure. 

For commercial purposes, the GeoEye-1 satellite can be used for a variety of applications, including mapping, urban planning, and infrastructure development. The satellite's high-resolution imagery can provide detailed information about specific locations, including building heights, road widths, and other infrastructure details. This information can be used to inform development plans and improve the accuracy of maps and other geographic information products. 

Aside from Google, the GeoEye-1 satellite has also been used by various government agencies, including the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), which is responsible for providing geospatial intelligence to the U.S. government. The NGA has used the satellite to support various missions, including disaster response, military operations, and environmental monitoring. 

Overall, the GeoEye-1 satellite's high-resolution imagery capabilities have made it a valuable asset for a variety of applications, including military, environmental, and commercial purposes. The satellite's ability to capture detailed images of specific locations on the Earth's surface has provided valuable information to a range of customers, including Google, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and other government agencies and commercial companies. 

The launch of the GeoEye-1 satellite was a significant achievement for both Google and the satellite industry as a whole. It demonstrated the potential of commercial satellites to provide high-quality imagery and information to various customers, including government agencies and private companies. 

Furthermore, the launch of the GeoEye-1 satellite helped to drive innovation in the satellite industry, with other companies and organizations working to develop new and advanced remote sensing technologies. Today, there are numerous commercial satellites in orbit, providing a range of services, including Earth observation, communication, and navigation. 

The launch of the GeoEye-1 satellite by Google in 2008 marked a significant milestone in the company's quest to provide high-quality satellite imagery to its users. The satellite's high-resolution imagery has been used by various customers, including Google and government agencies, to support various missions and operations. The launch of the GeoEye-1 satellite also helped to drive innovation in the satellite industry, leading to the development of new and advanced remote sensing technologies. 

Next Generation Astronomy Missions

Two astronomers at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Md., Dr. Marc Postman and Dr. Ken Sembach, have been selected among 19 science teams to conduct year-long studies of new concepts for NASA's next generation of major observatories. The studies will help the agency make decisions about how it explores the heavens in the future, following the Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Postman's group will study the feasibility of building the Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAS Telescope), which will have more than 40 times the sensitivity of the Hubble Space Telescope. The telescope would have a primary mirror that could be as large as 16 meters in diameter, and could be carried aboard NASA's planned Ares V heavy-lift launch vehicle. The telescope would be located 1 million miles away at a gravitational balancing point in space called L2, where the James Webb Space Telescope will be perched when it is launched in 2013. More... The moon has impact wrinkles

Biggest black hole in the cosmos discovered

The most massive known black hole in the universe has been discovered, weighing in with the mass of 18 billion Suns. Observing the orbit of a smaller black hole around this monster has allowed astronomers to test Einstein's theory of general relativity with stronger gravitational fields than ever before. The black hole is about six times as massive as the previous record holder and in fact weighs as much as a small galaxy. It lurks 3.5 billion light years away, and forms the heart of a quasar called OJ287. 

A quasar is an extremely bright object in which matter spiralling into a giant black hole emits copious amounts of radiation. But rather than hosting just a single colossal black hole, the quasar appears to harbour two – a setup that has allowed astronomers to accurately 'weigh' the larger one. The smaller black hole, which weighs about 100 million Suns, orbits the larger one on an oval-shaped path every 12 years. It comes close enough to punch through the disc of matter surrounding the larger black hole twice each orbit, causing a pair of outbursts that make OJ287 suddenly brighten. More...

Drilling Up Into Space

The Defense Department this October quietly issued a 75-page study conducted for its National Security Space Office concluding that space power - collection of energy by vast arrays of solar panels aboard mammoth satellites - offers a potential energy source for global U.S. military operations. It could be done with today's technology, experts say. But the prohibitive cost of lifting thousands of tons of equipment into space makes it uneconomical. 

That's where Palau, a scattering of islands and 20,000 islanders, comes in. In September, American entrepreneur Kevin Reed proposed at the 58th International Astronautical Congress in Hyderabad, India, that Palau's uninhabited Helen Island would be an ideal spot for a small demonstration project, a 260-foot-diameter "rectifying antenna," or rectenna, to take in 1 megawatt of power transmitted earthward by a satellite orbiting 300 miles above Earth. That's enough electricity to power 1,000 homes, but on that empty island the project would "be intended to show its safety for everywhere else," Reed said in a telephone interview from California. More...