Earth Rise

Earth Rise with Kaguya



The lunar explorer KAGUYA initially captured the right-side waned "Earth-rise" in November 2007 with its high-vision camera, but this time, it succeeded in capturing the "Full Earth-rise" without any wane. This is the first time that a high-vision image of the "Full Earth-rise" has been captured from space, 380,000 kilometers away from Earth.
To capture the Full Earth, the Moon, Earth, Sun and KAGUYA's circulating orbits have to fall into a straight line. This peculiar positioning occurs only 2 times a year.


Earth Rise

Earth Set





The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA) launched "KAGUYA (SELENE)" September 14, 2007 from Tanegashima Space Center. The major objectives of the "KAGUYA" mission are to obtain scientific data of the lunar origin and evolution and to develop the technology for the future lunar exploration. "KAGUYA" consists of a main orbiting satellite at about 100km altitude and two small satellites (Relay Satellite and VRAD Satellite) in polar orbit. The orbiters will carry instruments for scientific investigation of the Moon, on the Moon, and from the Moon.

Awesome.

Go Japan! :-)






This is a little something, something for my moon fan friend.

Space Junk

Space Junk



Credit: ESA (click for larger image)

Between the launch of Sputnik on 4 October 1957 and 1 January 2008, approximately 4600 launches have placed some 6000 satellites into orbit, of which about 400 are travelling beyond geostationary orbit or on interplanetary trajectories.

The junk can harm the running satellites and the junk-problem has to be solved. A mitigation plan has been developed (continuously, I assume :-)). Here is an estimate of what it will look like both with and without mitigation. Doesn't look too good either way, if you ask me!




Credit: ESA (click for larger image)

Yuri Gagarin

Yuri - First Human Orbiting the Earth




Credit: ISS Expedition 7 Crew, EOL, NASA

12. April 1961 Yuri Gagarin, Russia, became the first human in space.

What an amazing view - and what a feeling he must have experienced!

In this part of the world most people know that Laika was the first dog in space and in fact we know that Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space. It is, as far as I can judge, as common knowledge as knowing Armstrong was the first man on the moon. After Toy Story more people also know that Buzz Aldrin was part of the first team on the moon.




Yuri Gagarin - our first space celebrity


I've seen that Yuri is celebrated around the world with an arrangement called Yuri's Night. I somehow doubt they will be playing Peggy Sue on any of the many space parties tonight. I think they should though, since Peggy happens to be the name of the first woman commander of the International Space Station (ISS). Peggy Whitson is currently the commander on ISS mission undertaking numerous exciting submissions all covered here on PlanetBye earlier. (Colombus, Dextre, Kibo). Peggy says that one of the human qualities required to become an astronaut/cosmonaut is stubbornness. I am not shocked! :-)




Peggy Whitson, commander of ISS

Gecko

Mapping Biodiversity Hot Spots



Credit: Piotr Naskrecki

Giant leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus) from Montagne d'Anjanaharibe, Madagascar.

In a new conservation plan introduced in the journal Science, conservation biologists map out the locations for thousands of animal and plant species on Madagascar, to find the most important habitats to preserve.

Geospatial information and techniques are powerful tools and have infinite applications. Madagascar is the first geographical area for this kind of projects.

Flowers and Bees

"Flowers and Bees" in Danger



Credit: George F. Mobley/NGS

Flowers attracts bees, other insects and birds - and then nature reproduces. Not surprisingly pollution disturbs this process. Scents from the flowers are more specifically what attracts the insects making them move from flower to flower and the chemical composition of the scents mix with polluting chemicals in a destructive way. Most unfortunate.

This is a perfect excuse for me to post more Hepatica Nobilis images. The flowers smell of earthly freshness. Maybe you can "smell" it when seeing these two steaming fresh Hepatica photos? I know I do. :-)








Photos: Bente Lilja Bye

Exoplanet

Little Exoplanet



Credit: Spanish Research Council (CSIC)


They found this planet due to its perturbations on a bigger twin planet discovered via microlensing a couple of years ago. It is the smallest planet out of close to 300 exoplanet (Extra solar planet - not in our solar system). The star the planet orbits is in the star constellation LEO.

Earth Observation: Satellites for Sustainability

Satellites for Sustainability



Credit: ESA (click on image for larger video)


Earth observation (EO) provides objective coverage across both space and time, EO images show the world through a wide-enough frame so that complete large-scale phenomena can be observed with great accuracy. Satellites also remain in place for long periods, making them able to highlight environmental changes occurring gradually.

In the future it'll be harder to get away with unsustainable management of natural resources; EO from satellites will see to that. It is therefore very wise of multinational companies to start using this tool to their advantage rather than fighting it. Shell is one example of a company who sees EO from satellites as another useful and economic technique for their operations around the world.

Oil Sands, Athabasca



Credit: ESA

Land cover classification for the Lower Athabasca oil sands region, developed using ESA's Envisat data