Satellite

Le japon vient de lancer un satellite destiné à mesurer les gaz à effet de serre tout autour de la terre.

satellite

Oui, c'est meme assez surprenant en periode de restrictions budgetaires tous azimuts et de progression des depenses sociales resultant notamment du vieillissement de la population et de l'extension du chomage...

Pour en savoir davantage sur le lancement du satellite japonais Ibuki au moyen de la fusee japonaise H2A, se reporter au ci-dessous article paru hier dans le quotidien national Mainichi Shimbun:



Greenhouse gas satellite successfully launched by H2A rocket

The world's first satellite to simultaneously measure carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere was successfully launched into space by Japan's H2A rocket on Friday.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 12:54 p.m. on Friday. The monitoring satellite, nicknamed "Ibuki," successfully separated from the rocket approximately 16 minutes after takeoff at an altitude of 671 kilometers.

Sharing the ride on the rocket's piggyback payload were seven miniature satellites including six selected through public tender. Signals to detach the satellites were sent after the separation of the Ibuki.

It was the 15th of Japan's H2A rockets to be launched, and the ninth straight successful liftoff. It was the third liftoff since launching work was transferred to the private sector. The two-stage rocket, measuring 53 meters in length and four meters in diameter, weighed 289 tons excluding the satellites it was carrying.

The cost of launching the satellite was about 8.5 billion yen, the lowest figure so far and roughly 2.4 billion yen cheaper than the launch of the 14th H2A rocket. Initially the launch had been scheduled for Wednesday, but it was postponed until Friday due to poor weather.

The Ibuki is the world's first satellite to measure the atmosphere's concentration of carbon dioxide and methane, which cause global warming. Roughly 18.3 billion yen was spent on developing the satellite. It will make observations of about 56,000 points across the world roughly every three days from an altitude of 666 kilometers.




La question que l'on est en droit de se poser est aussi "quelle mouche a pique le Japon" ? Car alors qu'il a place sur orbite cette serie de satellites supposes geologiques, il s'est mis en tete de se lancer prochainement dans une operation de securisation armee des mers en expediant des destroyers croiser au large de la Somalie... Il semble evident que le Japon voit dans la crise financiere internationale l'occasion inesperee de sortir son epingle du jeu, et faisant montre pour une fois d'un peu d'initiative en faveur du "bien commun international", attend qu'on le gratifie enfin d'un si demande siege au Conseil de Securite permanent de l'ONU.

Pour en savoir davantage, se reporter au ci-dessous article paru hier dans le quotidien national Mainichi Shimbun:



Japan to deploy destroyers off Somalia on anti-piracy mission

Prime Minister Taro Aso is set to order the defense minister to prepare to deploy Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) destroyers off Somalia on an anti-piracy mission, government officials said.

MSDF destroyers and personnel will police the seas under the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) Law to protect Japanese vessels and foreign vessels carrying Japanese nationals from pirates off Somalia.

A project team comprised of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito adopted a mid-term report on Thursday urging the government to deploy destroyers to the area. It will be submitted to the prime minister after being approved at a meeting of LDP-Komeito policymakers on Tuesday next week.

Government officials said it would take about 1 1/2 months to train MSDF personnel to engage in the mission as the pirates are heavily armed.

The mid-term report stops short of clarifying standards for using weapons, and instead leaves it to the discretion of the Defense Ministry.

The ruling coalition project team will shortly begin to draft a bill on anti-piracy measures to be submitted to the Diet in early March.