Re: Basingstoke satellite trackers

From: Marco Langbroek via Seesat-l <seesat-l_at_satobs.org>
Date: Fri, 5 Jul 2019 12:03:37 +0200
Op 5-7-2019 om 08:41 schreef Thomas Goodey via Seesat-l:
> On 4 Jul 2019 at 20:20, Max White via Seesat-l wrote:
> 
>> This in the London Times today. To be honest it adds
>> nothing to what this group, and prior, have been doing
>> for decades, and would make out that the activity has
>> never been undertaken before. 
> 
> So why don't you write to the Times (the "Thunderer") and 
> correct them - tell them all about the group?


I have just sent this to the editor of The Times:

"To the Editor,

The article "Don’t panic! Dad’s Army of astronomers fight space junk"(The Times
July 4th 2019) describes how the Ministry of Defense is recruiting amateur
astronomers to track satellites and space junk. While the reader migh get the
impression that this is something new and pioneering, it isn't, even for
Britain. Amateur astronomers have played a role in tracking space objects since
the dawn of the Space Age. When the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957 and the US
government did not have a tracking network ready, they created "Project
Moonwatch", equipping amateur astronomers with surplus Navy binoculars and star
maps. This amateur tracking network functioned until 1975. Likewise, a similar
program, headquartered first at the Royal Radar Establishment, later at Appleton
Laboratories, was initiated in the UK under the guidance of prof. David Smith,
prof. Desmond King-Hele and amateur astronomer Pierre Neirinck. This UK program
ran until the 1990-ies when it was ended by austerity cuts. Several UK amateurs
from this network went on in private, joining an informal international group of
amateur trackers loosely knit around the Seesat-L mailing list. This group is
focussing on tracking classified ("spy") satellites and are the world's only
open source of information on the whereabouts and activities of these secretive
objects. Some members in our group (amongst others myself) have for years
pioneered the same DSLR techniques as described in your article, as well as very
sensitive video camera's. There is nothing new under the night sky (and if there
is, we will find it).

Sincerely,

- Marco Langbroek"






----
Dr Marco Langbroek

e-mail:    marco_at_langbroek.org
web:       www.langbroek.org
Twitter:   _at_Marco_Langbroek
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Received on Fri Jul 05 2019 - 05:04:25 UTC

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