Re: BBS-World
Phillip Clark (psclark@dircon.co.uk)
Tue, 8 Dec 1998 17:56:02 +0000 (GMT)
On Tue, 8 Dec 1998, Hans Lawrenz wrote:
> Recently on the list there have been a number of messages
> grumbling(?) about the lack of knowlege in the media(or their lack of fact
> checking) about the visiblility of satellites. So when the BBC-World news
> show had a story about the ISS I was not suprised when the host made a
> comment about how incredible it was that the ISS was so large that it would
> be visible. I was verry happy then when the guest corrected him and said
> that lots of satellites were visible, even ones much smaller than the ISS
> will be and is. So not everyone is ignorant of the visibility of
> satellites, and I must say I had no idea they were visible up untill a
> month or so ago.
I guess that I am the "guilty" person for correcting the BBC presenter -
i have been almost living at the BBC since the STS-88 launch, doing live
coverage for the NEWS24 and World TV channels. In fact, I think i am
currently running on Houston Time .......
When I went in for the docking coverage overnight Sunday/Monday I wanted
to get the GSOC URL broadcast as a good place to get satellite
predictions and a site which is easy to use, but the BBC said that they
could not broadcast the information since that could be seen as
"favouritism" and that is something which their charter does not allow -
even thought the site is non-commercial. Oh well, at least I tried.
Phillip Clark
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Phillip S Clark 25 Redfern Avenue
Molniya Space Consultancy Whitton
Compiler/Publisher, Worldwide Satellite Launches Middx TW4 5NA
U.K.
Specialist in "space archeology" - the older and more obscure the more
interesting it is !
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