Really Rocket Science

We read today in TVPredictions.com satellite TV operators may soon need to carry the Public Broadcasting Service’s HDTV feeds:

Public Broadcasting officials say satellite TV operators should be required to carry their High-Definition signals.

PBS executives from across the country are coming to Washington this week to urge Congress to change the Communications Act to include a must-carry provision.

"DIRECTV and EchoStar use scarce public airwaves to beam their signals to and from satellites," says John Lawson, president and CEO of the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS). "They use highly valuable international orbital slots for these satellites. It’s outrageous that they won’t carry the new digital channels from local public stations, but find a way to carry the big four commercial network stations."

DIRECTV and EchoStar have expanded their local HD service over the last year, but do not offer the PBS high-def signal in most cities.

APTS says the Communications Act should state that the satcasters must carry PBS’ "entire multicast digital programming," which would include the high-def signal and other digital feeds.

Satellite TV services are required to carry the analog feed of the local PBS station under the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act.

APTS says DIRECTV is considering carriage of PBS digital feeds, but talks are at an early stage. EchoStar, the group says, is refusing to carry the PBS digital feeds.

In January 2005, the PBS group signed an agreement with the National Cable and Telecommunications Association for carriage of all PBS digital signals on large cable TV systems. APTS says it hopes to sign a similar agreement with smaller cable systems in the near future.

The Association of Public Television Stations Web site gets into the details:

Specifically, APTS seeks to amend Section 338 of the Communications Act to make clear that the digital signals of Public Television stations are subject to the carry-one carry-all provisions related to carriage of local broadcast signals via satellite. This action would clarify that the entire multicast digital programming transmitted by a Public Television station is subject to mandatory carriage.

Gotta love Variety’s witty headlines:

Public broadcasters lobby on carriage

Networks plea to Congress for satellite TV signal

By WILLIAM TRIPLETT

Local pubcasters are set to launch a lobbying blitz to convince Congress to mandate carriage of all their digital signals by satcasters DirecTV and EchoStar.

As the Assn. for Public Television Stations hosts its "Capitol Hill Day" this week, reps from local noncommercial broadcasters from around the country will converge on Congress to express their frustration that "the high-definition signals of commercial stations are carried by satellite distributors, while public television stations’ new digital signals are kept off," according to an APTS statement.

They will therefore ask in the coming days that Congress support legislation requiring that DirecTV and EchoStar carry all local pubcasters’ HD and other digital programming during the transition to all-digital TV and after it is completed in February 2009.

Bringing new, potential meaning to the term, space pirate, is Fayetteville, AR-based aerospace firm Space Photonics who, according to the Northwest Arkansas Morning News, is working to up the bandwidth on military/government space and aircraft using optical technology. Check out the powerpoint slide below to get a better idea of how communication "turrets" would connect with satellites to get high-speed ‘net (and other communications) connections through to fast moving targets.

While the technology might mean that future Maverick’s can pirate copies of The Fast and the Furious VII: Golfcarts of Doom on their forays into the wild, blue yonder, the real excitement its stirring up centers around the potential it opens up for "synchronized communication lines between satellites." While the Morning News seems to think that this might translate into synchronized satellite orbiting competitions, its more likely to change communications in other more important ways.

Believe it or not, this is Hawaii, and you could be there. Read below to find out how. 

Here’s the ultimate Do-It-Yourself project for the space buff who’s already created their own Mooninite shirt, created a PlayDoh radio, and souped up their WiFi receiver: get a space job!

You may think that only a certain type of 1960s nerd can become a rocket scientist, but in truth, the space industry is incredibly diverse, and talented people from all walks of life can make successful careers within it.

And your colleagues may be more cheerful than you’d ever imagine. 

So how does one go from dreaming of space, to working on projects related to space?

Astroplace has a huge collection of links; two less-imposing places to start are at Spacejobs.org and Space-Careers.com.

Space.com also has a job board powered by CareerBuilder.com, which — while we’re working this sub-theme of American sports — happened to have one of the better ads during the Superbowl.

Ok, so now that we’ve looked at SI cheerleaders and funny ads on TV, where were we?

Oh yeah: we were trying to get a job. What’s out there?

Well, looking at the jobs posted at the Smithsonian, they need an astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Observatory near Boston, but this job is based in (hello!) Hilo, Hawaii. 

Hard to top that that. But if you miss the deadline and want another great place to work, be sure to check out the job opportunities right here at SES-Americom— especially our Associate Program, which is designed to accelerate your career through a 24-month program in which DIY-minded people like you are assigned four challenging rotations, including an international assignment. Rotations provide exposure in selected functions of our business, including Sales and Marketing, Finance, Space and Operations and Business Development.

So put down the PlayDoh radio, and drop us a note.

If you’re out in a truly remote location, especially at one of the poles, your options for connectivity are limited. First, it probably isn’t wired. Second, geosynchronous communications satellite orbit approximately 36,000 kilometers (22,300 miles) above the equator. This means that once you get to the extreme northern or southern latitudes, your options includes geo satcoms in inclined orbits and low-earth orbit satellites (LEOs). The two leaders in this field are Iridium and Globalstar.

Iridium had their financial troubles years ago and has since recovered, thanks in part to the U.S. Department of Defense. When Iridium went into bankruptcy, it was the DoD that realized they needed Iridium’s network for diversity. In this context, the word “diversity” means a diverse path of communications. Today, a restructured Iridium is holding its own.

Globalstar’s prospects have taken a turn for the worse, as we read in the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal:

Globalstar Inc. said Tuesday its satellite amplifiers are wearing out faster than expected threatening its ability to support two-way communications by as early as 2008.
Milpitas-based Globalstar (NASDAQ:GSAT) said it is trying to launch its next generation of satellites in 2009. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said that its amplifiers are degrading faster than expected, and it may not be able to fix the problem in time.
The problem may be linked to radiation exposure, Globalstar said.
Globalstar, which went public in November, saw its shares drop almost 26 percent to $10.75 in midday trading. The stock has traded between $12.45 and $17.68.

Concerned yet? Read their Form 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and you’ll find this:

As previously disclosed in the Company’s public filings, a number of its satellites have experienced various anomalies over time, one of which is a degradation in the performance of the solid-state power amplifiers of the S-band communications antenna.  The S-band antenna provides the downlink from the satellite to a subscriber’s phone or data terminal.  Degraded performance of the S-band antenna reduces the quality of two-way voice and data communication between the affected satellites and the subscriber and may reduce the duration of a call.  If the S-band antenna on a satellite ceases to function entirely, two-way communication is impossible over that satellite, but not necessarily over the constellation as a whole.  The root cause of the degradation in performance of the amplifiers is unknown, although the Company believes it may result from irradiation of the satellites in orbit.
The S-band antenna amplifier degradation does not affect adversely the Company’s one-way “Simplex” data transmission services, which utilize only the L-band uplink from a subscriber’s “Simplex” terminal to the satellites. 
To date, the Company has managed the degradation of the S-band antenna amplifiers in various technical ways, as well as by placing into service spare satellites already in orbit and moving unimpaired satellites to key orbital positions.  To maintain the highest possible capacity and best possible quality of service in light of this problem and to prepare for the integration of the eight satellites to be launched in 2007, on February 2, 2007, the Company completed the reconfiguration of its satellite constellation to combine two different “Walker” configurations, which continue to operate as a single constellation of 40 satellites plus in-orbit spares.  When launched, the eight satellites will be utilized to replenish the constellation over time as necessary until the second generation satellites are available for service, which the Company currently projects will be in late 2009. 

Fortunately, they’ll be using Inmarsat’s BGAN service at the upcoming Baffin Island expedition, along with Globalstar. Sir Richard Branson, his son Sam and Ed Viesturs will join the team on the last leg of the journey, from late April to the end of the expedition in May 2007.

 
Question: How much junk is in the Earth’s trunk — er, orbit?

Answer: A lot. And a lot more since China knocked down an aging weather satellite last month.

Evidence: Check out this graphic from the New York Times, which shows the thousands of pieces of small debris that are now in orbit. 

The accompanying article explains: 

 For decades, space experts have worried that a speeding bit of orbital debris might one day smash a large spacecraft into hundreds of pieces and start a chain reaction, a slow cascade of collisions that would expand for centuries, spreading chaos through the heavens….

Early this year, after a half-century of growth, the federal list of detectable objects (four inches wide or larger) reached 10,000, including dead satellites, spent rocket stages, a camera, a hand tool and junkyards of whirling debris left over from chance explosions and destructive tests.

Now, experts say, China’s test on Jan. 11 of an antisatellite rocket that shattered an old satellite into hundreds of large fragments means the chain reaction will most likely start sooner. If their predictions are right, the cascade could put billions of dollars’ worth of advanced satellites at risk and eventually threaten to limit humanity’s reach for the stars.

Indeed, the destruction of the satellite by China forced the International Space Station to move (see the video above) to avoid debris from the destroyed satellite, which the U.S. military is tracking.

Via Satellite has named Pat Dewitt, CEO of Space Systems/Loral, the Satellite Executive of the Year:

"We had to decide between a number of exceptional executives that lead their companies to new successes in 2006," said Jason Bates, editor of Via Satellite magazine. "However, what set Pat DeWitt apart from the rest was how quickly he turned the company around after such a difficult period. There was consensus at Via Satellite that this was the year to recognize Pat’s achievements."

In 2006, under DeWitt’s leadership, SS/L won a total of seven new satellite construction awards, from a wide array of customers, including Fixed Satellite Service (FSS), Mobile Satellite Service (MSS), Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS) and Direct-To-Home (DTH) service providers. The company also saw the successful launch of five SS/L-built satellites during the year.
 
"SS/L’s success today is a result of the leadership and vision put forth by Pat DeWitt," said Michael Targoff, chief executive officer of Loral Space & Communications. "Pat led the company through a difficult period and has positioned the company as the world’s premier provider of commercial satellites. Congratulations to Pat and all of SS/L on this well-deserved recognition."

Pat DeWitt has held management positions with SS/L and its predecessor companies for 34 years. He started at the company when it was Western Development Labs of Ford Aerospace in 1973, as a financial analyst, and was promoted to positions of increasing responsibility over the years. He was named executive vice president in 1996 and in that role was responsible for finance, information systems, procurement, facilities, and human resources. He became president of the company in 2001 and was named chief executive officer in 2006.

"It is a great honor to receive this award," said DeWitt. "I would like to extend my thanks to the editors of Via Satellite magazine as well as to the employees of Space Systems/Loral and most of all I want to thank our many loyal customers who are the ultimate reason for our success."

The award will be presented at SATELLITE 2007, the premier global event for satellite-enabled communications, which runs February 19-22 at the Washington Convention in Washington, D.C.

WebTV sucked and still sucks today despite being re-branded as MSNTV. Sure, it can get Grandma and Grandpa on the net and emailing the little Emma and Jack, but a new PC could do 20 times as much for just twice the price, making the sweetness of surfing on your big screen a little less logical. At $199.99 before service charges, WebTV may feel like a deal, but when Gramps gets frustrated by the limitations of the tiny device you’re going to have to get him a PC anyway, so why not bite the bullet and start things off right?

Well, even in light of the limits of WebTV and its Redmond-designed demon offspring, it isn’t to say that it wouldn’t be useful from time-to-time to surf the net from the comfort of your La-Z-Boy on your big screen.

Just imagine yesterday’s gridiron festivities with the aid of some Internet: Don’t really know what SalesGenie.com does judging from its cheesy ad? Just click the web button on your remote and — zip — there you are, visiting the site that’s set to bring spamming and direct dial marketing to anyone willing to pony up a couple hundred bucks a month.

Seems like a touchdown for me and my laziness (look, Mom, no laptop!) and even bigger boon for advertisers looking to get (and tracK) results from expensive ad buys. But can such a service be found?

The short answer is, yes, the technology’s already here, although you may need to wait a couple of years until it reaches your own plasma, HD display. This technological valhalla of laziness, known as IPTV, is new-ish, Internet Protocol-based (thus IP-tv) technology that seeks to transmit your favorite television channels over same thick, broadband pipe that you already get your Internet and maybe even your telephone service through.

While you can already get IPTV in a select number of markets in the US (e.g. some areas in Chicago, some schools in California), most are saying the US transition isn’t coming fast enough, with France with nearly 600,000 and Hong Kong with over 700,000 subscribers to IPTV-based services easily wining the competition for market penetration of the new technology. That said, some our saying America’s delay might be a good thing for certain big-name American networking firms, such as Cisco Systems, who stand to do extremely well, as broadband Internet providers start needing to upgrade their network infrastructure to handle the millions of gigabytes IPTV’s video will demand. Just check out the Robert Scoble’s interesting interview with the networking technology company’s CEO, John Chambers.

While it’s currently uncertain how this new technology will make its way into the market, as it competes with some of the older, television delivery formats, the full-scale launch will definitely be something interesting to watch.

The news is just starting to filter out, but today SES-Americom announced a major partnership with Cisco Systems to bring affordable television and video content to the millions of citizens in rural America using the Internet through the National Rural Telephone Cooperative. The video coursing through this new service will be provided by SES own IP-PRIME, of course. This is exciting news (and not just because we’re directly affiliated with SES), representing a real step-forward in getting Internet services down to infamous "last mile" consumers that often don’t get access to the communication services that many of us take for granted in more urban areas.

Some of the largest adopters of satellite television technology, man "country folk" around the US have been left out of the explosion in high speed, two-way internet services that are de rigueur in the our cities and suburbs. While satellite Internet technology is available, its speed is often hampered by dial-up upload speeds (which include telling your browser where you want to go) ultimately limiting its speed. Advancements in IPTV and joint-ventures like this deal provide additional incentive to get high-speed, wired internet connections to those who often feel isolated, geographically and socially, from the rest of the country and ultimately ensures that everyone, whether they live on the island of Manhattan or in Manhattan, KS, gains speedy access to the network that’s changing our lives.

For more infromation, you might want to check out blogger Robert Scoble’s interview with Cisco CEO John Chambers about the IPTV below or, via Networkworld, see how the system demoed in Europe last week.

While NPR has said its the first sign of cross-generational warfare, the arrest of two twenty-something Guerilla Marketers in Boston Wednesday for leaving lite-bright-based ads for the upcoming Aqua Teen Hunger Force Movie in subways and on bridges strikes when they set off city-wide terrorist alerts strikes yours truly as a simple misunderstanding with enough blame to go around.

The reality: Boston’s entire police force (not to mention the Department of Homeland Security) showed that they need to get in touch with American pop culture and modern advertising techniques, but Cartoon Network and the guerrilla marketers they hire have to be sensitive to the realities of a post-9-11 world where circuit board filled boxes (regardless of what’s on the outside) on subway platforms should cause some concern when marketing their fine wares. In the end, what the world needs is a little more peace and understanding… and a cool how-to on how to make your own Mooninite shirt and look like an object of terror (I guess).

Thankfully our pals over at MAKE have the guide and, while I’m not sure I’d like to wear the shirt (one wonders how you’re supposed to clean it) it might be a fun geeky way to spend a cold winter’s weekend in the great indoors.

If you’re looking for cool images from space on the web today, there’s probably no more interesting place to be than the Cassini-Huygens homepage, which has newly-released images of a huge cloud system covering the north pole of Titan.

The images can also be seen on the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer instrument homepage, which also has detailed information on the technology behind Cassini’s observations:

VIMS has several unique capabilities. It is able to identify the chemical composition of a surface, atmosphere, or Satrun’s rings by measuring the visible and infrared energy. VIMS is, in essence, a color camera that takes pictures in 352 different wavelengths between 300 nm and 5100 nm. This range, coupled with the ability to discern different wavelengths (called spectral resolution), allows the VIMS instrument to be able to very accurately quantify the light it detects.

It’s also well worth checking out the flash animation that NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has up on their website, summarizing what is known about Titan, largely throught the observations of Cassini.