total.pardo

fta @:

http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/05/1231228&from=rss

"With the recent discussion of the ISS having to dodge some space junk, many people’s attention has once again focused on the amount of stuff in orbit around our planet. What many people don’t know is that USSTRATCOM tracks and publishes a list of over 13,000 objects that they currently monitor, including active/retired satellites and debris. This data is meaningless to most people, but thanks to Analytical Graphics, it has now been made accessible free of charge to anyone with a copy of Google Earth. By grabbing the KMZ, you can not only view all objects tracked in real-time, but you can also click on them to get more information on the specific satellite, including viewing its orbit trajectory. It’s an excellent educational tool for the space-curious. Disclaimer: I not only work for Analytical Graphics, but I’m the one that wrote this tool as a demo."

just wow.  every sat can be clicked, tracked, and the trajectory plotted in google earth.  2008.  something else. it is amazing to see the amount of “stuff” up there.  and, i am sure there is more than we are being told.

very cool to look at the equatorial parking orbit.  lots of birds there.