PIX4642778: Simulation of an explosion in geostationary orbit - Simulation of an explosion in geostationary orbit - A satellite in geostationary orbit moves about 3 km per second. During an explosion, debris will move more slowly and remain in the initial orbit. Some fragments will move faster than others, forming a diffuse ring around the Earth. Downstairs, the debris seen two days after the explosion. What happens after an explosion in space? A geostationary satellite has a velocity of about 3 kms/second (10,000 kms/hour). The fragments are ejected with a much lower velocity and thus stay close to the initial orbit. However, some will travel a bit faster and others a bit slower. Within a few days the debris cloud will form a diffuse ring at 36,000 km altitude around the Earth. Bottom, seen two days after the explosion / Bridgeman Images
PIX4643084: Artist's view of the Giove satellite - A - Artist's view of the Giove satellite - A (Galileo In - Orbit Validation Element - A), the first of several satellites to validate the Galileo positioning system. The Galileo network of European satellites will consist of 30 satellites at approximately 24,000 km of altitude (27 operationals, 3 reserve). The satellite positioning system is expected to be operational in 2011. GIOVE - A reached its final orbit on January 9, 2006 and began to issue on January 12, 2006 / Bridgeman Images
FLO4643086: Golden or Chinese pheasant, Chrysolophus pictus, female. (Painted pheasant, Phasianus pictus) Handcoloured copperplate engraving of an illustration by Ann and Emily Hayes from William Hayes' Portraits of Rare and Curious Birds from the Menagery of Osterly Park, London: Bulmer, 1794., Hayes, William (1735-1802) / Bridgeman Images
PIX4643117: Orbit of the Giove satellite - B - Artist view - Giove - B satellite - Artist view - Orbit of the Giove satellite - B (Galileo In - Orbit Validation Element - A) by a Soyuz - Fregat rocket. At 100 km above sea level, the SOYUZ rocket, released its 4 boosters, ejects its cap. Giove - B (Galileo In - Orbit Validation Element - A) put into orbit by a Soyuz - Fregat rocket. Artist view / Bridgeman Images
FLO4643181: Baltimore oriole, Icterus galbula. (Baltimore oriole, Oriolus baltimore) Handcoloured copperplate engraving of an illustration by Matilda Hayes from William Hayes' Portraits of Rare and Curious Birds from the Menagery of Osterly Park, London: Bulmer, 1794., Hayes, William (1735-1802) / Bridgeman Images
FLO4641929: Aquatic scrofulary or auricle - Lithograph by F. Guimpel, extracted from medical botanical by Friedrich Gottlob Haynes (1763-1832), Berlin, 1822 - Water figwort, Scrophularia aquatica - Handcoloured copperplate by F. Guimpel from Dr. F. G. Hayne's Medical Botany, Berlin, 1822 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4641946: Mir station 02/1995 - Mir station seen in february 1995 - Mir space station seen from the space shuttle Discovery. February 1995. Cumulus and other clouds over the ocean form the backdrop for this scene of Russia's Mir space station during rendezvous operations by the Space Shuttle Discovery and Mir. This photographs was taken as Discovery was firing its Reaction Control Subsystem (RCS) thrusters to seperate from Mir's proximity / Bridgeman Images
FLO4641954: Oxalide (or surette or bird's bread) - Lithograph by F. Guimpel, extracted from medical botanical by Friedrich Gottlob Haynes (1763-1832), Berlin, 1822 - Common yellow woodsorrel, Oxalis stricta - Handcoloured copperplate by F. Guimpel from Dr. F. G. Hayne's Medical Botany, Berlin, 1822 / Bridgeman Images
FLO4641971: Parmelie (lichenise mushroom) - Lithograph by F. Guimpel, extracted from medical botany by Friedrich Gottlob Haynes (1763-1832), Berlin, 1822 - Common yellow wall lichen, Parmelia parietina - Handcoloured copperplate by F. Guimpel from Dr. F. G. Hayne's Medical Botany, Berlin, 1822 / Bridgeman Images
FLO4641992: Parmelie (lichen foliace) - Lithograph by F. Guimpel, extracted from medical botanical by Friedrich Gottlob Haynes (1763-1832), Berlin, 1822 - Shield lichen, Parmelia saxatilis - Handcoloured copperplate by F. Guimpel from Dr. F. G. Hayne's Medical Botany, Berlin, 1822 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4642074: Mir Station 03/1996 - Mir Space Station 03/1996 - Mir Space Station seen above New Zealand from the Atlantis Shuttle before its mooring. 23/03/1996. Backdropped against the waters of Cook Strait near New Zealand's South Island, Russia's Mir Space Station is seen from the aft flight deck window of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The two spacecraft were in the process of making their third docking in Earth - orbit. With the subsequent delivery of astronaut Shannon W. Lucid to the Mir, the Mir - 21 crew grew to three, as the mission specialist quickly becomes a cosmonaut guest researcher. She will spend approximately 140 days on Mir before returning to Earth. Tue 23 1996 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4642969: EDRS-C relay satellite - Artist view - The European Data Relay Satellite System - EDRS: The European Data Relay Satellite (EDRS) programme is a network of space satellites in geostationary orbit enabling faster and better data transmission between satellites and ground stations using new communication technologies - EDRS-C is the second node of the European Data Relay System (EDRS). It is the first dedicated EDRS satellite as well as the first flight for ESA's SmallGeo platform. EDRS is designed to transmit data between low Earth orbiting satellites and the EDRS payloads in geostationary orbit using innovative laser communication technology. Composed of a hosted payload (EDRS-A) on a commercial telecom satellite and a dedicated satellite (EDRS-C) in geostationary orbit, the system will dramatically increase the speed of data transmission for satellites in lower orbits and airborne platforms to relay their information to users on the ground. Nicknamed the 'SpaceDataHighway' by industry, EDRS complements current downlink infrastructures and allows for near-realtime services on a global scale / Bridgeman Images