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MikeB
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Joined: 20/08/2002 11:51:57
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Location: Essex, UK
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 Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:09 am Post subject: 3,2,1,Liftoff The latest GPS Satellite successfully launched |
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 Yesterday saw the launch of the 17th Satellite in the latest GPS Constellation: GPS 2R-17 powered by a Delta 2 rocket. I just happened to be on holiday in Florida at the time (or so I told my wife) and was invited by the 45th Space Wing from Patrick Air Force Base to join a number of other reporters just under 1.5 miles from Launch Complex 17 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base to watch the spacecraft being blasted into space.
Click here to read the full article...
We also have a short video of the launch.
Click here for a quicktime movie of the launch
or here for a windows media version.
I am afraid the sound has not recorded very well and I dont have the correct tools to record a voice over on my laptop. I will fix this on my return and will post in this forum when the movie has been updated properly.
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Mike Barrett
Last edited by MikeB on Fri Oct 19, 2007 5:12 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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NickG
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| Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 1:06 pm Post subject: |
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| What do you mean by "latest GPS Constellation"? Is this for Galileo, Glonass or the old (existing) GPS system? |
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MaFt
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Joined: Aug 31, 2005
Posts: 15271
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
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| Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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the satellites are constantly being replaced so i presume this is the last one that needed replacing for now?
MaFt |
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philpugh
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Joined: Dec 28, 2005
Posts: 2003
Location: Antrobus, Cheshire
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| Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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Nice pictures Mike. What camera/lens were you using for the stills?
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GJF
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Joined: Feb 08, 2007
Posts: 894
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| Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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As listed by the Kennedy Space Center -
Event: Delta 2 - GPS 2R-17 (M4)
Date: 17/10/2007
Time: 08:23:00 AM EST
Details: The United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket will launch the fourth modernized NAVSTAR Global Positioning System Block 2R military navigation satellite. The launch will be run by the U.S. Air Force. The rocket will fly in the 7925 vehicle configuration.
Location: SLC-17, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
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MikeB
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Joined: 20/08/2002 11:51:57
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Location: Essex, UK
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| Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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| NickG wrote: | | What do you mean by "latest GPS Constellation"? Is this for Galileo, Glonass or the old (existing) GPS system? |
The GPS Satellite is for the existing GPS constellation. The USAF are continually launching new satellites to augment and replace existing spaceships. GPS 2R-17 is the 4th of 8 to be launched for the GPS Block IIR-M series of satellites. GPS 2R-18 is due to be launched late December.
| philpugh wrote: | | Nice pictures Mike. What camera/lens were you using for the stills? |
I used my trust old Nikon D70 with the standard 18-70 zoom lens. I would have preferred to have had a longer telephoto for the initial launchpad shots, but having a single camera and just a few seconds to get these pictures I decided to stick to a zoom lens to get the closeup of the first burn and then pull out for the over view pictures.
I did have the motor drive running which is why I managed to snap about 60 pictures. Most of them are very similar.
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Mike Barrett |
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MikeB
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Location: Essex, UK
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| Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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Darren pointed out to me that the links to the quicktime version of the video were broken. I have sorted these out now and you can click here to view the video.
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Mike Barrett |
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NickG
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Joined: Nov 09, 2003
Posts: 357
Location: UK
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| Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:17 am Post subject: |
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| MikeB wrote: | | I used my trust old Nikon D70 with the standard 18-70 zoom lens. I did have the motor drive running which is why I managed to snap about 60 pictures. |
Motor drive?! The D70 is a digital camera! Why has it got a motor drive if it has no film? |
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Darren
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Location: Hampshire, UK
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| Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 10:10 am Post subject: |
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Mike is referring to the facility in burst mode, we all know that a Digital camera has no motor drive as such but the term describes the mode clearly.
Back on topic some satellites (although not all) already have replacements in orbit stacked behind the operational vehicle so that if it fails or reaches its scheduled replacement date it is de-orbited and the replacement slots into place.
The Navstar constellation was fast becoming a tired system with ageing satellites and a patchy replacement program but thankfully in recent years the replacement program has been ramped up with the Block IIr vehicles being introduced at a rate of knots.
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DennisN
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 14902
Location: Keynsham
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| Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 4:30 pm Post subject: |
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 Would this have anything to do with the fact that this week my two Tom Tom GOs have been blindingly fast at picking up satellites? They have previously been "good", taking from 10 to 20 seconds for first acquisition, but taking forever if I make the mistake of driving off before they acquire.
But this week, suddenly they are like **** off a hot shovel. They have satellites immediately the map comes on - no grey waiting time at all. Yesterday (having problems with constant re-booting) I switched the 710 off and drove the next more than half an hour (15 - 20 miles in every which direction) before I switched it on again and it was instantly not just acquired, but moving along in exactly the same spot as the 720 which had been running all the time.
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Dennis
If it tastes good - it's fattening.
Two of them are obesiting!! |
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Darren
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Location: Hampshire, UK
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| Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 4:40 pm Post subject: |
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Unlikely, this latest launch is only just beginning the test and shake down phase and is not available to end users.
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Darren Griffin |
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