Thor’s Hall

Thoughts on things that catch my interest
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About

Who am I, and what is this blog about?

Who Am I

While my history, background and interests are varied I like to describe myself within these four high level characteristics: Husband and Father, Sheep dog, Project Director / Technologist, ’80s Marine Vet.
As for what this blog is about. Well,  the blog will evolve over time and really define itself. For the time being, I will offer commentary about current events on the international, domestic, and personal stages that strike a chord within me. As we progress and evolve, I expect that my writing skills and eloquence will improve as well. In the short term, there are others out there with more information than I and that (I think) state things more clearly and eloquently than I. As a result I will often refer you to their work, especially early in the evolution of this blog.

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  • Snapshot of the International Space Station

     
    On March 13, 2008, the International Space Station passed across the field-of-view of Germany's remote sensing satellite, TerraSAR-X, at a distance of 195 kilometers, or 122 miles, and at a relative speed of 34,540 kilometers per hour, or more than 22,000 mph. In contrast to optical cameras, radar does not 'see' surfaces. Instead, it is much more aware of the edges and corners which bounce back the microwave signal it transmits. Smooth surfaces such as those on the station's solar generators or the radiator panels used to dissipate excess heat, unless directly facing the radar antenna, tend to deflect rather than reflect the radar beam, causing these features to appear on the radar image as dark areas. The radar image of the station therefore looks like a dense collection of bright spots from which the outlines of the space station can be clearly identified. The central element on the station, to which all the modules are docked, has a grid structure that presents a multiplicity of reflecting surfaces to the radar beam, making it readily identifiable. This image has a resolution of about one meter (about 39 inches). In other words, objects can be depicted as discrete units--that is, shown separately--provided that they are at least one meter apart. If they are closer together than that, they tend to merge into a single block on a radar image. Since this image was taken, the station has expanded and is more than 90 percent complete, including a full complement of solar arrays. Image Credit: DLR
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