ESA Rosetta team broadcast new pictures from Philae lander

Prof Jean Pierre Bibring (CNES) ESA Rosetta science team leader at the ESA update broadcast revealing new pictures from Philae lander sitting on the Comet 67/P.

The Philae is sitting close to a rocky cliff like structure, with 2 legs out of three on firm surface. The surface appears to be rocky not powdery.

The instruments on Philae are firing up to gather as much science data as possible while the onboard matteries are running.

Given that the Philae may be sitting on partial shade there is some doubt as to whether the solar panels can be deployed to extend the power cycle of the instruments' data gathering.

Prof Ulamec (DLR) of the ESA Rosetta team shows the approx area (the blue diamond) that the team believe Philae is located, on the comet.

There is some concern that is in the shade of a cliff-like structure.

The ESA team are under great pressure to produce pictures and data from the comet and this is clearly showing up in the professional but sleep deprived presentations.

Short animated sequence showing Philae leaving Rosetta on its descent to Comet 67/P.

This image from Rosetta shows a tiny dot that is the Philae lander in transit to comet 67/P. 

This is a composite picture made up of the others (above) showing an almost panaramic view around Philae.

ISS Astronauts broadcast multimedia experience from Space Station - Video

Nasa's Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) and ESA's Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex) posting incredible content captured from the International Space Station on their Twitter feeds.

In between conducting ISS experiments and research, the astronauts are taking videos, timelapses, Vines, photos and panoramas on the ISS.

The pair have so far shown off the Earth's beauty like never before, posting some fascinating demonstrations of zero gravity, inserting cameras into water bubbles and giving insight into daily life at the station.



This timelapse video from space was taken by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst from the Cupola observatory module on the International Space Station as it orbited Earth at around 400 km altitude.

As the Space Station passes over Earth at night we can see city lights and lightning.

Below is a Vine clip of the spectacular Aurora Borealis taken from the ISS.

SES and Gazprom to provide additional satellite capacity to Russia

Global satellite operator SES S.A. and Russian fixed satellite service operator Gazprom Space System (GSS) announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership to provide additional satellite capacity to serve the Russian market.

Under the terms of a multi-year agreement, SES has re-located its ASTRA 1F satellite previously located at 51 degrees East to the orbital location 55 degrees East.

GSS will utilize 16 Ku-band FSS transponders on the ASTRA 1F satellite to provide communication services for Western Russia ahead of the arrival of GSS' Yamal-402 satellite in 2012.

In return, SES will use capacity on GSS' Yamal-402 once it becomes operational at 55 degrees East. Yamal-402 is currently under construction and scheduled for launch in November 2012.

The use of ASTRA 1F at 55 degrees East is part of a strategic partnership between SES and Gazprom to explore opportunities for the provision of satellite capacity for Russia.

GSS will use the capacity on ASTRA 1F and later Yamal-402 together with Russian satellite service providers to deliver a wide spectrum of services including the transmission of TV bouquets for direct-to-home (DTH) satellite TV operators, the distribution of TV signals to cable and terrestrial networks and broadcasting stations, the delivery of broadband access for corporate clients and the consumer market, and point-to-point communication, as well as cellular backhauls and Satellite News Gathering (SNG) services.

Dimitry Sevastiyanov, General Director of GSS said: "The move of ASTRA 1F is good news for the Russian market. The additional satellite arrives at a time of high demand and scarce capacity and brings us in a position to meet the actual and growing capacity needs of our customers. The cooperation with SES is very productive and we may see additional joint projects in the future."

Romain Bausch, President and CEO of SES, commented: "The agreement to move ASTRA 1F over Russia demonstrates SES' capability to quickly respond to market demands and highlights the advantage of a global and flexible satellite fleet.

The launch of ASTRA 5B scheduled for 2013 we will bring additional capacity to Russia. With Gazprom we have found an excellent partner to tap this highly important growth market."

ITU Implores Iran To Stop Jamming EutelSat

The global regulator of satellite orbital slot and broadcast frequencies asked Iran to track down the source of intentional jamming of Eutelsat satellite signals that carry news broadcasts into Iran.

In a delicately worded statement apparently designed not to antagonize Iranian authorities, the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said it accepted the findings of the French National Frequencies Agency concluding that the interference to Eutelsat signals, particularly those from the BBC reporting on Iranian politics, is coming from Iranian territory.

The French agency, on behalf of Paris-based Eutelsat, has written to Iran on multiple occasions in the past year asking that the interference cease. The ITU Radio Regulations Board also contacted Iran, whose administration responded that it did not know the source of the signal jamming, which has interfered with broadcasts from Eutelsat satellites located at four different orbital slots.

The BBC has moved its BBC Persian news broadcasts from one satellite to another in an attempt to find an orbital slot that permits broadcasts into Iran but makes it difficult for Iran-based jammers to interfere with the signal.

The ITU’s Radio Regulations Board concluded that “the interfering signals appear to be of a nature” that is forbidden under ITU rules and is originating in Iran “based on the measurements provided by the administration of France, and having confidence in the measurement techniques.”

The ITU, a United Nations affiliate, has little power to enforce its rulings. It depends on member nations to respect the regulations as a matter of good faith in the general interest of maximizing the use of the radio spectrum and satellite orbital positions.

The ITU said it “urged the administration of Iran to continue its effort in locating the source of interference and to eliminate it as a matter of the highest priority.” It said it has asked the French administration and its own Radiocommunication Bureau “to assist the administration of Iran in identifying the source of the interference.”

Eutelsat has been telling French authorities for months about the interference, and the 27-nation European Union has urged Iran to stop it.

China to Create and Broadcast Its Own Version of the News - NYTimes.com

China to Create Its Own Version of the News - NYTimes.com

An ambitiouspolitical plan, set forth in guidelines last week by China's State Council, envisions the creation of entertainment, news and culture companies with a market orientation and with less government backing.

China, in short, would like to consolidate its media industry into companies resembling Bloomberg, Time Warner and Viacom, analysts say.

There appears to be a feeling at the highest levels of government that they need a media machine commensurate to the rising status and power of China

Beijing want the moves to improve the nation's image overseas - part of a longstanding effort to use 'soft power,' rather than military might to win friends and influence people abroad. The iron fist in a silk glove!

Along the way, Beijing will allow private and foreign companies to invest in everything from music, film and television to theater, dance and opera productions - though largely through state-owned companies and always controlled by the government.

The News Corporation, Viacom and other Western media giants have for years been frustrated by their inability to win approval to produce films and television programs aimed at Chinese consumers; often, they have operated with Chinese joint venture partners and run into procrastinating tactics; constant delays or political barriers. Several American companies said they were studying the new Chinese rules and declined to comment further on them.

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