Welcome to SATCOM home page of freelance journalist and astro imager John Locker
First ground based image of ESA's Automated Transfer vehicle , Jules Verne just hours after docking with the International Space Station on April 3 2008
USA 129 April 10 2008 : Range 340 km"129" is one of the Keyhole series of satellites used for near real time high resolution imagery.Long thought to be similar to the Hubble Space Telescope , but looking down to Earth rather than out into space , the image left clinches it. Featuring a long optical tube , with solar panels either side , the spacecraft is about four to five metres across .
There's more about the Keyhole series at
http://www.spacetoday.org/Satellites/YugoWarSats.html
The author is a Satellite Communications Consultant , Broadcaster and Freelance Journalist. With a special interest in space communications research , John has acted as consultant to a number of TV news and documentary producers.
ISS and Endeavour Early morning pass March 13 2008Less than an hour after docking , Endeavour and ISS make a 61 deg pass over the UK Endeavour can be seen quite clearly as the complex passes into orbital sunrise.
Shuttle Endeavour imaged over Wirral , UK November 30 2008. Range approx 460 km
This still from NASA TV shows the tracker as the orbiter passed to the south
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Click here to read Leonard David's article for Space.com "How Amateur Sleuths Spot Satellites "
Satellite observing....what's it all about ?
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