STEREO Turns Its Steady Gaze On Variable Stars

"STEREO's ability to sample continuously for up to 20 days, coupled with repeat viewings from the twin spacecraft during the year, makes it an invaluable resource for researching variable stars. As well as making discoveries, observations from HI are enabling us to pin down the periods of known variables with much greater accuracy," said Karl Wraight.

by Staff Writers London, UK (SPX) Apr 26, 2011

Researchers have discovered 122 new eclipsing binary stars and observed hundreds more variable stars in an innovative survey using NASA's two STEREO solar satellites. The survey has been carried out by team from the Open University, University of Central Lancashire and the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Dr Danielle Bewsher will present highlights at the RAS National Astronomy Meeting in Llandudno, Wales. STEREO was launched in 2006 to study the Sun in 3D and coronal mass ejections, the cause of space weather. Each STEREO spacecraft carries a Heliospheric Imager (HI), each instrument comprising two cameras (HI-1 and HI-2) built and developed at the STFC's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the University of Birmingham. The HI cameras are able to make such stable measurements that researchers can accurately monitor the brightness of stars in the background.
"Although STEREO is primarily a solar mission, we recognised that the stability of the HI cameras could also be used to monitor variations of the brightness of stars," said Bewsher, of the University of Central Lancashire.
"To date, 893 000 stars have passed through the HI-1 field-of-view alone, producing an unexpected resource of scientific data about the variability of stars that is currently being data mined."

Russian space forces reconnect with lost satellite

Geo-IK-2

by Staff Writers Moscow (RIA Novosti) Apr 25, 2011

The Russian Space Forces has re-established contact with a military satellite, Geo-IK-2, which went missing in February, local media reported Friday. According to a spokesman from the Defense Ministry, Interfax news agency said the Space Forces had already received telemetric information from the satellite and collection and analysis of the data were currently underway.
After studying the information, the Defense Ministry would make a decision regarding the further use of the satellite, the spokesman said.
A Rokot light-class carrier rocket carrying with the Geo-IK-2 satellite blasted off Feb. 1 from Russia's Plesetsk launching site, but placed the satellite in an incorrect orbit. After the launch, the Defense Ministry announced it had lost contact with the Geo-IK-2 and later abandoned the satellite.
The Russian Space Forces then grounded launches of all Rokot light-class carrier rockets until the completion of an investigation into the failed launch.

source: http://www.spacewar.com

Israel reveals its geo intelligence

Israel: Israel's observational satellites take up a large chunk of the multi-year Halamish plan that the Army is preparing, which is due to come before the cabinet for approval, Haaretz Daily reported. The plan outlines Israel’s current strategic standing in the Middle East amid the ongoing upheaval in the region and particularly the regime change in Egypt and the impact it will have on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and its buildup.

As an integrated part of the plan, satellites including the Ofek 5, 7 and 9 - the latest of which was launched in June - provide up-to-date images to the Intelligence Corps of the IDF. The images are used to help Israel keep an eye on sensitive "areas of interest" where planes, whether manned or unmanned, would not be able to go, said the lieutenant colonel who heads the air force's satellite and space unit.

IAF officials are wary of going into too much depth when it comes to describing the abilities of Israeli satellites, but the lieutenant colonel described them as "creating photographic opportunities that enable us to get up-to-date information, to the point of providing a warning on leading operational needs."

But the satellites have their limitations. Of Israel's six satellites, only one - the high-resolution TecSar, which features radar imaging - is capable of transmitting images at night and in poor weather conditions, and the TecSar has a view of those "areas of interest" only once every 90 minutes. In addition, its elliptical orbit means that it goes dark for two weeks of every two months or so.

The air force would like to have enough satellites to keep the Middle East covered well enough that there would be no spot where Israel cannot see what's going on once every 15 minutes.

Unlike the Ofek series satellites, TecSar - along with Eros A and Eros B, which are privately owned by a subsidiary of Israel Aircraft Industries - were launched abroad, from either Russia or India.

Source: http://www.geospatialworld.net