Three more DMC spacecraft prepare for launchSeptember 15, 2003SSTL are preparing for the launch of three more spacecraft in the international Disaster Monitoring Constellation - the first cluster of satellites dedicated to monitoring disasters from space. The three spacecraft, each with a mass of approximately 100kg, have arrived at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia and SSTL engineers are now on-site preparing for a 26 September launch onboard a KOSMOS rocket. BILSAT for Turkish customer Tubitak-ODTU Bilten The launch this month will complete the first phase of the constellation, kicked-off last November with the launch of AlSAT-1 for SSTL's Algerian customer, Centre National des Techniques Spatiales and the Algerian Space Agency. The DMC will provide daily imaging at 32m resolution and up to a 600km swath across the world, enabling rapid repeat imaging for regular updates of disaster situations - something not achievable by any other commercial satellite currently in orbit. AlSAT-1 is fully operational in orbit and demonstrating the DMC spacecraft's remarkable capability by returning outstanding Earth observation imagery. The International Charter has recently used AlSAT-1 imagery to observe the Monserrat volcano eruption. The DMC is a novel international partnership, brought together by SSTL and supported by the British National Space Centre (BNSC) MicroSatellite Applications in Collaboration (MOSAIC) programme, which has given financial assistance to small satellite programmes. An enhanced DMC satellite for China, currently under construction at SSTL at the Surrey Space Centre, will join the DMC when it is launched in early 2005. The upcoming launch is scheduled for 06:09 GMT on Friday, 26 September 2003 with a live satellite link across Europe via Eutelsat W2. Satellite co-ordinates for the transmission will be available, together with the running order, 48 hours before the event on SSTL's website: www.sstl.co.uk | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Related Aging Current Events and Aging News Articles Calcium and vitamin D may not be the only protection against bone loss Diets that are high in protein and cereal grains produce an excess of acid in the body which may increase calcium excretion and weaken bones, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). Experts discuss applying systematic review to the field of nutrition Performing systematic reviews of nutrition related topics raises unique challenges not often encountered in the field of medicine. In a new article, a team of researchers use specific examples to describe the steps, strengths, and limitations of systematic reviews relevant to nutrition and discuss the factors that impact the results. New study indicates smallpox vaccination effective for decades Although naturally occurring smallpox was eradicated in 1977, there is concern that bioterrorists might obtain smallpox from a laboratory and release it into the population. Adiponectin is a metabolic link between obesity and bone mineral density Researchers at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, Canada, have discovered that adiponectin, a protein secreted from adipocytes, is a metabolic link that can explain, in part, the known positive relationship between obesity and both bone mineral density and reduced susceptibility to fractures. Bittersweet milestones For many of the elderly, the golden years are anything but. Faced with health problems, financial issues and the death of a spouse or loved one, many adults 65 years and older suffer from depression. While research is emerging to help this group understand and treat the problem, another group - centenarians - has been left largely in the dark. Primary care provides patients with better outcomes at lower cost A white paper, How is a Shortage of Primary Care Physicians Affecting the Quality and Cost of Medical Care?, released today by the American College of Physicians (ACP) documents the value of primary care by reviewing 20 years of research. Study Investigates Non-Surgical Placement of a Gore-tex Type Device in the Heart to Stop Recurrent Strokes and Mini-Strokes A study is under way at Rush University Medical Center using a small, soft-patch device made of a Gore-tex-type material - often used to make durable outerwear - to close a common hole found in the heart called a patent foramen ovale (PFO) in order to prevent recurrent strokes and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) in adults. Scientists Discover New Planet Orbiting Dangerously Close to Giant Star A team of astronomers from Penn State and Nicolaus Copernicus University in Poland has discovered a new planet that is closely orbiting a red-giant star, HD 102272, which is much older than our own Sun. Exercise increases brain growth factor and receptors, prevents stem cell drop in middle age A new study confirms that exercise can reverse the age-related decline in the production of neural stem cells in the hippocampus of the mouse brain, and suggests that this happens because exercise restores a brain chemical which promotes the production and maturation of new stem cells. Super-Tough Sunshield to Fly on the James Webb Space Telescope Imagine sunglasses that can withstand the severe cold and heat of space, a barrage of radiation and high-speed impacts from small space debris. They don't exist, but Northrop Grumman engineers have created a Sunshield for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope that can withstand all of those elements. The space telescope needs a Sunshield to block heat from the sun so its cameras and instruments can operate properly a million miles from the Earth, when it launches in 2013. More Aging Current Events and Aging News Articles |
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