Related topics: nasa , launch , space
Satellite
hideIn the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavor. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon.
The first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. By 2009 thousands of satellites have been launched into orbit around the Earth. These originate from more than 50 countries and have used the satellite launching capabilities of ten nations. A few hundred satellites are currently operational, whereas thousands of unused satellites and satellite fragments orbit the Earth as space debris. A few space probes have been placed into orbit around other bodies and become artificial satellites to the Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
Satellites are used for a large number of purposes. Common types include military (spy) and civilian Earth observation satellites, communication satellites, navigation satellites, weather satellites, and research satellites. Space stations and human spacecraft in orbit are also satellites. Satellite orbits vary greatly, depending on the purpose of the satellite, and are classified in a number of ways. Well-known (overlapping) classes include low Earth orbit, polar orbit, and geostationary orbit.
Satellites are usually semi-independent computer controlled systems. Satellite subsystems attend many tasks, such as power generation, thermal control, telemetry, attitude control and orbit control.
For more information about Satellite, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with satellite
System 97W's 'castle wall' breached, and opened up to dissipation
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 04, 2009 |
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The "walls" of System 97W have been breached, and residents in the Western Pacific Ocean no longer have a tropical cyclone to worry about today. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center cancelled their "formation ...
WISE Launch Scheduled for Dec. 11
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 04, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Launch of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California is scheduled for Dec. 11.
NASA's WISE infrared satellite to reveal new galaxies, stars, asteroids
Dec 04, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Data from the satellite, says principal investigator and UCLA professor Edward Wright, will help scientists answer fundamental questions about the history of our solar system, the Milky Way ...
Galileo satellite platform tests under way
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 03, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The engineering model of the first Galileo satellites has completed platform integration tests at the Thales Alenia Space facility in Rome. The platform is now undergoing functional testing. ...
New method of measuring ocean CO2 uptake could lead to climate change 'early warning system'
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 03, 2009 |
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An international team of scientists led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) has developed a new method of measuring the absorption of CO2 by the oceans and mapped for the first time CO2 uptake for the entire North Atlantic.
NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites see Nida fading, and 97W getting organized
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 03, 2009 |
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NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites flew over Tropical Depression Nida and System 97W in the Western Pacific Ocean and noticed that one is fading while the other is powering up.
Nida getting knocked by winds, and 97W piquing interest
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 02, 2009 |
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Nida is now a tropical storm, and is being knocked around by wind shear in the Western Pacific. Satellite imagery has confirmed Nida's center of circulation is exposed and the storm is losing its circular ...
NRL Sensor Observes First Light
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 02, 2009 |
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The Special Sensor Ultraviolet Limb Imager (SSULI) developed by NRL's Spacecraft Engineering Department and Space Science Division, launched October 18, 2009 on the U.S. Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite ...
Digital avalanche rescue dog
Dec 01, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A novel geolocation system makes use of signals from Galileo, the future European satellite navigation system, to locate avalanche victims carrying an avalanche transceiver or a cellphone, to the precision ...
Typhoon Nida's cloud tops dropping as it zigzags in wind shear
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 01, 2009 |
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Nida is battling to keep its typhoon strength in the Western Pacific Ocean as wind shear continues to tear at the storm and weaken it. NASA's CloudSat satellite noticed that Nida's cloud tops are not as high ...
Winds drive icebergs away from New Zealand
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 01, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Strong westerly winds in the southern Pacific Ocean have driven scores of icebergs originally headed toward New Zealand to the east, away from the country, an oceanographer said Tuesday.
GOES-14 (O) moving into on-orbit storage around the Earth
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 30, 2009 |
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The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite named GOES-14, is being placed in on-orbit storage this month to await its call to duty.
NASA captures Typhoon Nida's clouds from 2 angles
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 30, 2009 |
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NASA satellites capture amazing views of tropical cyclones, and the Aqua and CloudSat satellites captured a top-down look at temperatures in Typhoon Nida's clouds, and an image of what they look like from ...
Japan launches 5th spy satellite
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 28, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Japan launched its fifth spy satellite into orbit Saturday in a bid to boost its ability to independently gather intelligence, the government said.
China to launch second lunar probe: state media
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 27, 2009 |
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China will launch its second moon orbiter next October, state media reported Friday, as it powers ahead with a space programme that has sparked concerns abroad.
