Sat Imagery

[Testing]

You space nuts will love this. Go to<br /><br />http://maps.google.com<br /><br />Type in "Kennedy Space Center, Florida"<br /><br />Then click on Satellite in the upper right corner <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

Already did. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> The imagery is beautiful. I seem to recall spotting a MLP on one of the pads; I wonder if the images for that region were taken shortly after Columbia's launch? Anybody know how long an MLP tends to sit on the pad after a launch?<br /><br />There's other good space geek imagery. I typed in "Barringer Crater" and got a good view of the crater. They've only got low-res imagery of EAFB, unfortunatey. I'm trying to find Vandenberg AFB now. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> It's cool! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[Testing]

Seems to work for any address or known location. VAFB has some whited out spots but does come up. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

Cool!<br /><br />I just found Old Faithful. Well, you can't really see it; because the ground around the thermal features at Yellowstone is so light-colored, the area is pretty much just a big bright blob. But it's summer, and even though there are lots of open parking spaces in the lot by Old Faithful, you can see lots of people on the walkways around Old Faithful and the Geyser Walk. (I think that's what the path around that group of thermal features is called.) Yes, you can see the PEOPLE. They're just tiny colored specks, but they're there. And there are lots of them. It's pretty darn cool. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[Testing]

The only thing missing is date of imagery. But I can tell from the image of home that it is this year, by the water in the creek and recovering vegetation from last years fire <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[SpaceKiwi]

What happens to the MLP at launch? I have the notion in my head that it must take a beating or sustain serious damage and toxicity, sitting at the receiving end of a Shuttle launch. But, I'm guessing this is not the case? What kind of work needs to be done in order to make an MLP ready for another launch? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><font size="2" color="#ff0000">Who is this superhero?  Henry, the mild-mannered janitor ... could be!</font></em></p><p><em><font size="2">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></em></p><p><font size="5">Bring Back The Black!</font></p> </div>

 

[najab]

Give it a good scrub and a fresh coat of Rustoleum, it's as good as new. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><p>Actually, I was going to post exactly the same question.</p>

 

[vogon13]

The crawler lowers the platform onto piers and is then driven away from the pad. It looks very 'dissipated' without the platform on it. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[SpaceKiwi]

<font color="yellow">Give it a good scrub and a fresh coat of Rustoleum, it's as good as new.</font><br /><br /><br /><br />Hehehe, good call najaB <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /><br /><br />Actually, I'm curious to know if the techs will retrieve their "We're Right Behind You Columbia" banner before launch, or just let Columbia deal to it on the big day. Those things don't come cheap and, as SG and Padrat will attest, they're all underpaid to begin with! <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><font size="2" color="#ff0000">Who is this superhero?  Henry, the mild-mannered janitor ... could be!</font></em></p><p><em><font size="2">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></em></p><p><font size="5">Bring Back The Black!</font></p> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

I seem to recall seeing a picture of the banner taken after Columbia broke up, so they must normally remove them. Personally, I wouldn't want anything lose sitting around in case it snapped off and hit something important somewhere, so I'd take it off as soon as they got onto the pad. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

<b>" Anybody know how long an MLP tends to sit on the pad after a launch?"<br /><br />Usually about a week.</b><br /><br />Cool. That means the picture was taken right after a launch! Or that the MLP got rolled to the pad for some other reason. Do they ever get rolled to the pad without a Shuttle stack for test purposes? <br /><br />EDIT: I just looked KSC up again. There's an MLP on 39A. According to the NASA Historical Archive for Manned Missions, STS-107 did launch from 39A. So that picture could've been taken while Columbia was in orbit. It's also possible it was taken earlier; the previous mission also launched from 39A. But it's kind of cool to think that it could be Columbia's MLP there.<br /><br />There's also a Crawler-Transporter parked in the area that I think used to be for the Saturn V arming tower, right around the junction between the crawlerways to pads A and B. (It's not neccesarily taken anywhere near the same time as the other picture, though; there's an obvious seam just east of the Crawler.) It's neat to see. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[Testing]

It's interesting, the differences in coverage. Catalina Island has a restriction on resolution. There are 5 oil platforms between Long Beach and the island, not seen in the coverage yet you can see small boats. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

Yeah. It doesn't seem to be deliberate; I think it's a factor of what resolution was available at the time. (Even pics taken from the same spacecraft will vary in resolution, depending on the viewing circumstances, especially the altitude.) It's technically still a beta, so maybe Google is planning to get better resolution pics as they become available. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>