Undertoad • Feb 10, 2005 1:57 pm

IotD has had auroras from satellite composite shots before, but this new one xoxoxoBruce sends along is European, and a beaut. It's also another nice nighttime sky image, except that it's largely obscured by clouds.

We don't always get to see the photographer. This (or its sister) would be the bird that took those pictures.Undertoad wrote:... but this new one xoxoxoBruce sends along is European, and a beaut. It's also another nice nighttime sky image, except that it's largely obscured by clouds.
tw wrote:We don't always get to see the photographer. This (or its sister) would be the bird that took those pictures.
Bird before it flies
I believe that bird made it to the launch pad nine months later. Launch windows are difficult to come by and rarely missed. Satellites are internally quite robust. If I remember the numbers, everything must withstand up to 6 Gs in all three dimensions to withstand the extremes of launch. Outside of some external (and replaced) parts, that bird could have been launched - after some expediting and overtime.Elspode wrote:Definitely not this one...this one fell off of the test stand, causing quite a stir. It was...well...broken.
after some expediting and overtime.Yeah, mo money, mo money. :)