Note: The outdoor temperature here in Tucson rose above 100 degrees (F) every day during the month of June, in 2013.
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While viewing a
NASA TV video, I wondered exactly how many satellites are in orbit around the Earth?
According to
WiseGEEK - As of 2008, the former Soviet Union and Russia had nearly 1,400 satellites in orbit, the USA about 1,000, Japan more than 100, China about 80, France over 40, India more than 30, Germany almost 30, the UK and Canada 25, and at least ten each from Italy, Australia, Indonesia, Brazil, Sweden, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea.
Satellites are tracked by United States Space Surveillance Network (SSN), which has been tracking every object in orbit over 10 cm (3.937 inches) in diameter since it was founded in 1957. There are appx.
3,000 satellites operating in Earth orbit, according to NASA, out of roughly
8,000 man-made objects in total. In its entire history, the SSN has tracked more than
24,500 space objects orbiting Earth. The majority of these have fallen into unstable orbits and incinerated during reentry. The SSN also keeps track which piece of space junk belongs to which country.
International Space Station
The Largest Man-Made Object Currently In Earth Orbit
The skies above Earth are teeming with manmade objects large and small. This celestial clutter includes everything from the International Space Station (ISS) and the Hubble Space Telescope to defunct satellites, rocket stages, or nuts and bolts left behind by astronauts. And there are millions of smaller, harder-to-track objects such as flecks of paint and bits of plastic.
Like satellites, Low Earth Orbit debris whizzes around the planet at 17,000 miles an hour or more. The orbits of these objects differ in direction, orbital plane, and speed, however -- meaning collisions are inevitable. At such speeds, termed hypervelocity, even a minuscule piece of junk presents a serious hazard for satellites, spacecraft, and spacewalking astronauts.
More at
National Geographic
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TRIVIA
The toughest tongue twister in the English language is said to be,
"The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick"
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HISTORICAL EVENT
On this day,
July 1 in
1863 the largest military conflict in North American history began when Union and Confederate forces collided at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The epic battle lasted three days and resulted in a retreat to Virginia by Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.
3,155 Union soldiers were killed, 14,530 wounded, and 5,365 missing, a total of 23,040.
2,600 to 4,500 Rebel soldiers were killed, 12,800 wounded, and 5,250 missing, a total of 20,650 to 25,000.
This means that approximately
7,650 Americans died in this battle.
Approximately
620,000 soldiers died from combat, accident, starvation, and disease during the Civil War.
President Abraham Lincoln is hailed and remembered as a revered leader who kept the country united.
On May 18, 2013, U.S. President Barack Obama signed an Executive order putting into effect sanctions against Bashar Hafez al-Assad, President of Syria in an effort to pressure his government "to end its use of violence against its people and begin transitioning to a democratic system that protects the rights of the Syrian people."
Go figure . . .
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WORD FOR TODAY
sheikh
noun
- A religious official.
- A leader of an Arab family or village.
- Used as a form of address for such an official or leader.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, Sheikh is an Arabic word and can also be spelled sheik, shaikh, or shaykh, although sheikh is the most common.
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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
(July 1, 1961 - Aug. 31,1997)
Princess Diana (born Diana Frances Spencer) was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, the eldest son and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. She was well known for her fund-raising work for international charities and as an eminent celebrity of the late 20th century. Her wedding to the Prince of Wales on July 29, 1981 was held at St Paul's Cathedral and seen by a global television audience of over 750 million. While married she bore the titles Princess of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, Countess of Chester and Baroness of Renfrew. The marriage produced two sons, the princes William and Harry, who became second and third in line to the British throne.
Diana remained the object of worldwide media scrutiny during and after her marriage, which ended in divorce on August 28, 1996. Media attention and public mourning were considerable following her death in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.
(born July 1, 1952)
Dan Aykroyd is a Canadian comedian, singer, actor and screenwriter. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers (with John Belushi) and Ghostbusters, and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter. In 1990, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Driving Miss Daisy.
(born July 1, 1939)
Karen Black is an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She is noted for appearing in such films as Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, The Great Gatsby, Rhinoceros, The Day of the Locust, Nashville, Airport 1975, and Alfred Hitchcock's final film, Family Plot.
(born July 1, 1934)
Jamie Farr (born Jameel Joseph Farah) is an American television, film, and theater actor. He is best known for having played the role of cross-dressing Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger in the CBS television sitcom M*A*S*H.
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There is no easy way to the stars from the earth.
--Seneca
NASA TV
