The British Broadcasting Corporation is reporting an interesting proposal being floated around by the Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin.  Hackers attending the conference want to create a private Internet by putting their own network of communications satellites into Orbit.  The proposed project is being called the Hackerspace Global Grid.

The Hackerspace Global Grid will consist of a series of communications satellites in orbit in addition to a series of ground stations to track and communicate with the satellites.  They also state that a long term goal is to put a private astronaut on the moon.

The hacker activist Nick Farr started soliciting donors and participants for the project back in August.  I was due to a number of proposed laws which will censor the internet that caused him to start the project.

Mr Farr was quoted as saying “The first goal is an uncensorable internet in space. Let’s take the internet out of the control of terrestrial entities,”

There are a whole host of issues with launching this type of system.  Satellites that are usually launched by governmental entities or large corporation have the benefit of being placed in orbit by a rocket.  This makes communication easy as ground centers know exactly where the satellite is.  It also can put it in a stationary orbit right near the equator, which allows it to be “still” above a target.

The biggest drawback to this type of system is that from the height of these satellites, there is usually quite a delay in the signal causing problems for most applications.

If launched by amateurs, the satellites will be in low orbit making sure there is no delay but they will only be “visible to each ground station for a brief moment every 90 minutes.  The only real way to overcome this is by having many satellites and many ground stations to pick up on the data.

The group says it wants to have a prototype to show the world at next years conventions, let’s see if they can do it.

Do you see the benefit to a private internet?

Anger Over SOPA Prompts Hackers to Propose Private Satellites is a post from: The Inquisitr

China on Tuesday officially launched the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, a move that ends the countries dependence on America’s Global Position System (GPS).

According to the countries leaders the new system allows for the broadcasting of directions to China and its “surrounding area.”

The system was designed and launched by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. and is currently comprised of 10 satellites.

While the system is less accurate than GPS at this time it’s still believed to be capable of tracking US ships and other military targets, something the Chinese government wasn’t given access to via the American system.

A recent report in the Journal of Strategic Studies says “China still has a long way to go,” but added that the new system is allows China to

“Acquire greater ability not only to defend against intruding aircraft carriers but to project force as well.”

Chinese officials in the meantime are not touting the defense capabilities of the system but rather it’s free civilian applications, specifically the systems ability to support SMS messaging, something the American GPS system does not allow for.

Do you believe the Chinese government built the Beidou Navigation Satellite System for the benefit of it’s citizens or as a matter of better tracking military vessels and for offensive striking capabilities?

China Debuts GPS Alternative, Adds SMS To The Mix is a post from: The Inquisitr

One wouldn’t think that in the Antarctica it would be too hard to find emperor penguins given that is their home turf and really how the hell to hide is all the great white expanse?

Well apparently it is harder than you think since Antarctica is about 1.5 times larger that the United States there is actually lots of places to hide. This has made it harder for scientists trying to locate all the penguin colonies on the continent.

Then totally by accident the scientists at the British Antarctic Survey were looking over satellite images of their bases discovered how to find them. Look for the penguin shit. Seriously, I’m not kidding. It seems that because the penguins stay on the same ice for months their excrement leaves a large reddish-brown stain on the ice.

Look for the stain – find the penguins.

Just something for you to file away for that trip you might take to the Antarctica.

picture via DiscoveryNews

How to find penguins – look for the brown stain is a post from: The Inquisitr

Satellite Collision: New Details

One satellite was an American Iridium satellite, used to provide communications for the data services company. It weighed 1,200 pounds and was more than 12 feet in length. The second satellite was a nonoperational Russian device. No further details are known about its previous purpose.

The two satellites crashed about 490 miles above northern Siberia on Tuesday and immediately cracked into pieces. Scientists say this is the first time a satellite collision of this magnitude has occurred.

Satellite Collision: Space Station Impact

Investigators believe the threat to the International Space Station is now small, though they say it’s still too soon to know how many fragments are still floating around. Early estimates put the number at “many, many dozens, if not hundreds.”

NASA officials say some of the debris is already near the station’s altitude. They remain confident, however, they’ll be able to avoid the pieces if need be.

“We’ll just dodge them if we have to,” an official tells The New York Times. “It’s the small things you can’t see that are the ones that can do you harm.”

International Space Station controllers say they’ve now tweaked the station’s orbit to make sure it doesn’t cross paths with the debris.

Satellite Collision: Video Report

The following video report from Russian news agency Russia Today provides more details, as well as additional images of the satellites involved in the collision.

Satellite Collision Update: New Information and Images is a post from: The Inquisitr