A US dilemma — satellite remote sensing privatization

NASA's and EOSAT's efforts to keep the USA in the technological forefront of remote sensing have been hampered by budgetary constraints and bickering. This article is a plea for a continued and explicit commitment by the US government to the promotion of the necessary technology and cooperative programmes. Unless the issues are tackled with a sense of urgency, the author argues, the French or Japanese may take over the lead.     

Parabolic Drag-Free Flight, Actuation with Kicks, Spectral Analysis with Gaps

The LISA Pathfinder Drift Mode is an experimental mode proposed for the LISA Pathfinder drag free space mission. The Drift Mode’s specificity is to switch off a possibly noisy actuator periodically in order to minimize the actuation noise. The experiment delivers a measurement that includes data segments virtually free of any actuation force noise. The corresponding acceleration data is then used to estimate the experiment disturbance spectrum, using a calibrating and gap-filling algorithm. This article focuses on two points to demonstrate the feasibility and interest of such an experiment: a first part is dedicated to experiment control and dynamics, whereas the second part explains how to solve the challenging problem posed by the data analysis.     

The use of Earth resources satellites in the development of Latin America

Remote Sensing Technology has been used since 1972 by the governments of Latin America to promote national and regional development activities. Dedicated centers totally involved in remote sensing research and development were created. Major investment programs were also promoted by the Latin American countries to include satellite remote sensing technology in their national projects.