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Year of the Dragon – 龙年

January 22, 2012 by 2 Comments

龙年

龙年

龙年吉祥！

新的一年祝全世界人民好运连连生活美满！

Welcome to the Year of the Dragon!

I hope that this new year will bring good luck to all people in the world.

I don’t speak or write Chinese, so I sincerely hope that the above Chinese text correctly conveys my meaning. If it is wrong in any way then please leave a Comment below – but only in English or French or Dutch or German or Italian or Spanish!

Since the initial posting of this greeting I have received some excellent help and advice about the Chinese language from @gonewind. I must also thank @PalaEksa for facilitating this.
Thank you both so much, and Happy New Year of the Dragon!

Filed Under: People

WGS-4 Military Communications Satellite Launch

January 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment
ULA Launch of Boeing WGS-4 Satellite

ULA Launch of Boeing WGS-4 Satellite

Boeing has received the first on-orbit signals from the fourth Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite it is delivering to the U.S. Air Force. The signals indicate that WGS-4, the first in the Block II series, is healthy and ready to begin orbital manoeuvres and operational testing.
Further detailed information can be found on Boeing’s website here.

WGS-4 launched on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV vehicle on 19th January 2012 at 7:38 p.m. Eastern time from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Controllers confirmed initial contact with the spacecraft 58 minutes later at 8:36 p.m. Eastern time at a ground station in Dongara, Australia. Boeing’s Mission Control Centre in El Segundo, California confirmed that the satellite is functioning normally.

The dramatic launch video, photographs and further information can be found on ULA’s website here.

WGS-4 is an extremely advanced satellite operating at the established X-Band and the high frequency Ka-Band. It uses phased array, shaped beam, steerable spotbeams to provide coverage to support coalition forces [Read more…]

Filed Under: Communication Satellites, Launch Sites, Launch Vehicles, Launches

The Ultimate Seismograph + 97th Anniversary of Avezzano Earthquake

January 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This is not only a true story, but also is timed to mark the 97th Anniversary of the devastating earthquake which destroyed Avezzano on 13th January 1915, resulting in a massive loss of life.

Have you ever been in an earthquake? I have, once, and it’s scary. Not a powerful earthquake, admittedly, and most California residents would probably have called it a tremor. However, it was enough to wake me up in the middle of the night, in the dark, and my first thoughts were [Read more…]

Filed Under: Communication Satellites, Earth Station Locations, Geostationary Satellites, Places