IMAGING

Hidden Irish archaeological sites revealed by Bluesky

The National Monuments Service in Ireland is using high-resolution aerial photography from Bluesky to map and investigate a giant 4,500-year-old Henge. The circular structure, located the Brú na Bóinne UNESCO World Heritage Site, is evidence of prehistoric earthworks and was first observed by researchers with drones. Following the discovery, the National Monument Service of the Department of Culture, Heritage, and Gaeltacht carried out extensive aerial reconnaissance including commissioning Bluesky Ireland to survey the cropmark enclosure at Newgrange.

In the summer of 2018 researcher and photographer Anthony Murphy decided to fly his drone over the Boyne Valley and located a large, circular crop mark in open farmland, indicating the presence of buried archaeological features.

Following the initial discovery the NMS used a GIS to organize views of the landscape across maps, photographs, and drawings of cropmarks identified to date. The location of the newly identified site was also visited to enable a better understanding of the topographical locations and the physical and visual relationships between sites.

Chinese scientists capture nighttime remote sensing imagery

Chinese scientists have released nighttime remote sensing imagery capturing finer spatial details of artificial nighttime light in China. The imagery is made up of 275 photos taken from June to December in 2018 across China.

It is made by Wuhan University and Hubei high-resolution earth observation statistics and application center in central China’s Hubei Province.

The details of artificial light captured on the imagery can reveal human activities at night. Activities including oil or natural gas burning, forest fires and volcano eruptions are also captured. www.xinhuanet.com

Testing vehicular emission using RS in Delhi, India

Trials of checking vehicular emission by remote sensing have started in Delhi and around, a move which experts said could allow efficient screening of highly polluting vehicles.

The technology is being tested at the Manesar-based International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT). At least 70,000 vehicles in Delhi and NCR towns have already been checked, the Supreme Court-appointed body Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority was informed.

A senior official from ICAT explained that in remote sensing there is a light source and a detector that is placed on the side of the road. It transmits a laser beam. Emissions are measured when vehicles cross the light path. Scientists have been able to measure exhaust plume, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in 0.5 seconds. Several vehicles can be tested in an hour by the use of this technology, the official said. www.hindustantimes.com

New group of Earth remote sensing satellites “Sovereign’s Eye”

Russian state space corporation Roscosmos has suggested to create a group of Earth remote sensing satellites called “Sovereign’s Eye,” Roscosmos’s head Dmitry Rogozin told reporters.

This group of satellites may be found helpful by the Russian Emergencies Ministry and agricultural workers. “For instance, for the Russian Emergencies Ministry, we will be able to deploy firefighting aircraft to an area of 25 sq m. We will also present the project to argicultural workers. This will include using drones in agriculture and the possibility of monitoring arable land,” Rogozin noted. The “Sovereign’s Eye” system will also help monitor changes in infrastructure facilities, the Roscosmos head noted. http://tass.com

Satellite launched By ISRO, made by students, is lighter than a chair

The world’s lightest satellite, made by Indian students, was successfully placed in orbit by a rocket launched by the ISRO on 24th Jan 2019. It’s on the house – not a single rupee is being charged by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the task. The satellite designed and built by students who work with a private organisation called “Space Kidz India” in Chennai weighs less than a wooden chair at only 1.26 kg.

It cost Rs.12 lakh to make and was made ready in six days, though the group perfected the technology over a span of six years, said Srimathy Kesan, a 45-year-old professional who steered this motley group of 20-something at Space Kidz India.

The Kalamsat-V2 is the lightest satellite in the world, the ISRO said, adding that the launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota also marks another milestone – it’s the first satellite designed and built by an Indian private entity and Space Kidz India to be launched by ISRO.

Vietnam’s MicroDragon Earth observation satellite enters space

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) carried out the launch of Vietnamese MicroDragon Earth observation satellite along with six Japanese satellites using an Epsilon-4 rocket from the Uchinoura Space Centre in Kagoshima Prefecture, some 1,000 km away from Tokyo.

MicroDragon will be separated from the rocket after about an hour and send back first signals in one or two days. The satellite’s operation is expected to become stable after one to three months in space.

The satellite was developed by 36 Vietnamese engineers from the Vietnam National Space Centre. The group began manufacturing the satellite in 2013 and successfully completed and tested it in 2017. http://en.nhandan.com