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1000 results for “data_from_space”
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I think you've just described an example of the difference between #science and #engineering. (By the way, happy #EngineersWeek!)
#ComputerScience produces knowledge of methods of automation and #ComputerEngineering applies them to benefit humanity.
I believe Margaret Hamilton established CompE while enabling 12 lucky people to walk on the Moon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Engineers_Week_(U.S.)
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Free Data From Space With #Othernet (Is Almost Over!) by #saveitforparts
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Nearly everyone opposes Trump’s plan to kill space traffic control program – Ars Technica
Members of the 18th Space Defense Combat Squadron observe orbital data at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on October 4, 2024. Credit: US Space Force / David DozoretzAstrophotography showcasing the Ground-based Electrical Optical Deep Space Surveillance facility, or GEODSS, operated by the 15th Space Surveillance Squadron, Detachment 1, at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, captured August 25, 2022. Credit: Kaitlin Castillo / US Space ForceThe Trump administration’s plan to gut the Office of Space Commerce and cancel the government’s first civilian-run space traffic control program is gaining plenty of detractors.
Earlier this week, seven space industry trade groups representing more than 450 companies sent letters to House and Senate leaders urging them to counter the White House’s proposal. A spokesperson for the military’s Space Operations Command, which currently has overall responsibility for space traffic management, said it will “continue to advocate” for a civilian organization to take over the Space Force’s role as orbital traffic cop.
Giveth and taketh away
The White House’s budget request submitted to Congress for fiscal year 2026 would slash the Office of Space Commerce’s budget from $65 million to $10 million and eliminate funding for the Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS). The TraCSS program was established in the Department of Commerce after Trump signed a policy directive in his first term as president to reform how the government supervises the movements of satellites and space debris in orbit.
The Office of Space Commerce, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has been around since the 1980s as a licensing agency for remote sensing and Earth observation satellites.
TraCSS is designed as a cloud-based system to serve as a nerve center for collecting satellite tracking data from spacecraft owners and a network of government and commercial telescopes and radars. The space traffic control network then uses the information to provide alerts of potential in-space collisions to satellite operators. This is becoming more important as thousands more satellites head to space each year.
Industry trade groups are lobbying Congress to reverse the Trump administration’s proposal and restore the Office of Space Commerce’s (OSC’s) budget to this year’s level of $65 million.
“One of OSC’s most important functions is to provide space traffic coordination support to US satellite operators, similar to the Federal Aviation Administration’s role in air traffic control for the US airline industry,” seven trade groups wrote in joint letters to Congress.
The trade organizations count the largest Western commercial satellite operators among their members: SpaceX, Amazon, Eutelsat OneWeb, Planet Labs, Iridium, SES, Intelsat, and Spire. These are the companies with the most at stake in the debate over the future of space traffic coordination. Industry sources told Ars that some companies are concerned a catastrophic collision in low-Earth orbit might trigger a wave of burdensome regulations, an outcome they would like to avoid.
Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.
Continue/Read Original Article Here: Nearly everyone opposes Trump’s plan to kill space traffic control program – Ars Technica
#2025 #America #DonaldTrump #Health #History #LibraryOfCongress #NASA #OfficeOfSpaceCommerce #Politics #Resistance #Science #Space #Trump #TrumpAdministration #UnitedStates
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🛰️ Hosting a @tinygs workshop this Sunday at @tog for #DublinTechWeek!
Build your own satellite ground station with ESP32 + LoRa and start receiving data from space.
Info & tickets 👉 https://www.tog.ie/2025/04/build-your-own-satellite-ground-station-3/
#TinyGS #LEOsat #IoT #ESP32 #HamRadio #MastDaoine -
Our Panel on Innovative Solutions (PoIS) is thrilled to announce a second public challenge, this time putting #AI / #ML to work in the field of space biology and health research, specifically in the amplification and realistic simulation of rare biomedical data points from spaceflight.
How does it work? We'll provide access to relevant data from the NASA Open Science Data Repository, expertise, and computational resources to help you tackle this complex challenge. In return, you'll provide your creativity and fresh ideas needed to solve pressing real-world problems.
The winning approach will receive a prestigious award at the #COSPAR2025 Symposium in Cyprus, be recognised as a leader in the field of space situational awareness and (potentially) make a real impact on the future of space biology and health research: https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/news/join-the-quest-to-shape-the-future-of-space-exploration/ #artificialintelligence #machinelearning
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#ClimateCatastrophe #Glaciers #SeaLevelRise #Antarctica
(1/n)
Via
#CNN
NEW STUDY: "#Ocean water is pushing miles beneath #Antarctica’s “#DoomsdayGlacier,” making it more vulnerable to melting than previously thought, according to new research which used radar data from space to perform an X-ray of the crucial glacier.""...scientists have estimated 👉its complete collapse could ultimately lead to around 10 feet [3 meters]of sea level rise👈 — a...
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/20/climate/doomsday-glacier-melt-antarctica-climate-intl/index.html
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Satellites Reveal The Power Of Ocean Swell
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https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Space_for_our_climate/Satellites_reveal_the_power_of_ocean_swell <-- shared technical article
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https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2513381122 <-- shared paper
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“During recent storms, satellites recorded ocean waves averaging nearly 20 metres high – the largest ever measured from space. Moreover, satellite data now reveal that ocean swells act as storm ‘messengers’ - even though a storm may never make landfall, its swell can travel vast distances and bring destructive energy to distant coastlines...
This record merges data from satellites such as #SARAL, #Jason3, #Copernicus #Sentinel 3A and 3B, Copernicus #Sentinel6 Michael Freilich, #CryoSat and #CFOSAT…”
#GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #earthobservation #satellite #ocean #marine #oceanwaves #waves #swell #storm #extremeweather #risk #hazard #impacts #humanimpacts #coast #coastline #longswells #energy #erosion #weather #longwaves #ESA #ClimateChangeInitiative #CCI #SeaState #meteorology #coastalengineering #mitigation #ESA
@europeanspaceagency -
Satellites Reveal The Power Of Ocean Swell
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https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Space_for_our_climate/Satellites_reveal_the_power_of_ocean_swell <-- shared technical article
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https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2513381122 <-- shared paper
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“During recent storms, satellites recorded ocean waves averaging nearly 20 metres high – the largest ever measured from space. Moreover, satellite data now reveal that ocean swells act as storm ‘messengers’ - even though a storm may never make landfall, its swell can travel vast distances and bring destructive energy to distant coastlines...
This record merges data from satellites such as #SARAL, #Jason3, #Copernicus #Sentinel 3A and 3B, Copernicus #Sentinel6 Michael Freilich, #CryoSat and #CFOSAT…”
#GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #earthobservation #satellite #ocean #marine #oceanwaves #waves #swell #storm #extremeweather #risk #hazard #impacts #humanimpacts #coast #coastline #longswells #energy #erosion #weather #longwaves #ESA #ClimateChangeInitiative #CCI #SeaState #meteorology #coastalengineering #mitigation #ESA
@europeanspaceagency -
Satellites Reveal The Power Of Ocean Swell
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https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Space_for_our_climate/Satellites_reveal_the_power_of_ocean_swell <-- shared technical article
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https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2513381122 <-- shared paper
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“During recent storms, satellites recorded ocean waves averaging nearly 20 metres high – the largest ever measured from space. Moreover, satellite data now reveal that ocean swells act as storm ‘messengers’ - even though a storm may never make landfall, its swell can travel vast distances and bring destructive energy to distant coastlines...
This record merges data from satellites such as #SARAL, #Jason3, #Copernicus #Sentinel 3A and 3B, Copernicus #Sentinel6 Michael Freilich, #CryoSat and #CFOSAT…”
#GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #earthobservation #satellite #ocean #marine #oceanwaves #waves #swell #storm #extremeweather #risk #hazard #impacts #humanimpacts #coast #coastline #longswells #energy #erosion #weather #longwaves #ESA #ClimateChangeInitiative #CCI #SeaState #meteorology #coastalengineering #mitigation #ESA
@europeanspaceagency -
Satellites Reveal The Power Of Ocean Swell
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https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Space_for_our_climate/Satellites_reveal_the_power_of_ocean_swell <-- shared technical article
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https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2513381122 <-- shared paper
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“During recent storms, satellites recorded ocean waves averaging nearly 20 metres high – the largest ever measured from space. Moreover, satellite data now reveal that ocean swells act as storm ‘messengers’ - even though a storm may never make landfall, its swell can travel vast distances and bring destructive energy to distant coastlines...
This record merges data from satellites such as #SARAL, #Jason3, #Copernicus #Sentinel 3A and 3B, Copernicus #Sentinel6 Michael Freilich, #CryoSat and #CFOSAT…”
#GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #earthobservation #satellite #ocean #marine #oceanwaves #waves #swell #storm #extremeweather #risk #hazard #impacts #humanimpacts #coast #coastline #longswells #energy #erosion #weather #longwaves #ESA #ClimateChangeInitiative #CCI #SeaState #meteorology #coastalengineering #mitigation #ESA
@europeanspaceagency -
Satellites Reveal The Power Of Ocean Swell
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https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Space_for_our_climate/Satellites_reveal_the_power_of_ocean_swell <-- shared technical article
--
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2513381122 <-- shared paper
--
“During recent storms, satellites recorded ocean waves averaging nearly 20 metres high – the largest ever measured from space. Moreover, satellite data now reveal that ocean swells act as storm ‘messengers’ - even though a storm may never make landfall, its swell can travel vast distances and bring destructive energy to distant coastlines...
This record merges data from satellites such as #SARAL, #Jason3, #Copernicus #Sentinel 3A and 3B, Copernicus #Sentinel6 Michael Freilich, #CryoSat and #CFOSAT…”
#GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #earthobservation #satellite #ocean #marine #oceanwaves #waves #swell #storm #extremeweather #risk #hazard #impacts #humanimpacts #coast #coastline #longswells #energy #erosion #weather #longwaves #ESA #ClimateChangeInitiative #CCI #SeaState #meteorology #coastalengineering #mitigation #ESA
@europeanspaceagency -
Spiritual Enlightenment is #1 Priority for the Human Race – Not AI-Driven War.
Article republished by Jerry Alatalo | April 30, 2026
(Source: ConsortiumNews.com)
[Editor’s note: Here is my response to the article:
Another briefing by Defence Minister Luke Pollard, which was delivered in private but obtained by Declassified, offers additional clues about the role of British satellite operations in the war.
Pollard said last month that artificial intelligence (AI) applications were “helping save lives in the Middle East, protecting British citizens, British bases and British allies across the Gulf.”
He went on to acknowledge that the U.K. government was “using AI to enhance the speed of backfield decision making, to analyse satellite images.”
This effort might be assisted by Palantir, [the data analysis and AI software company], which sponsored a U.K. Space Command conference in 2024 and said it was “pushing AI to the very edge of space in ways that’s never been seen before” while supporting “agile operations for our allies in the U.S. [and] U.K.”
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Criticism of artificial intelligence-driven warfare includes concerns about the loss of human judgment in life-and-death decisions, the opacity of algorithmic decision-making, and the potential for unintended civilian casualties due to errors in targeting. Additionally, there are significant ethical and legal challenges regarding accountability when autonomous systems malfunction or misclassify targets.
(Source: DuckDuckGo “Search Assist” – response to query: “Criticism of artificial intelligence-driven warfare”)
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The Pentagon is aiming to increase funding more than a hundredfold for an autonomous drone warfare program, according to budget documents released this week, signalling a major pivot towards AI-powered war.
In its 2027 budget, the Pentagon has asked for over $54bn to fund the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, a 24,000% increase on last year.
An overview of the budget describes this money as going towards “autonomous and remotely operated systems across air, land, and above and below the sea,” including the “Drone Dominance” program.
The amount is over half the entire defence budget of the UK. In an opinion piece published yesterday, former CIA director David Petraeus said it was “the largest single commitment to autonomous warfare in history”.
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The human race needs a healthy dose of spiritual enlightenment as noted by the late Native American spiritual leader Rolling Thunder (1916-1997): “The most basic principle of all is that of not harming others, and that means all people, all life, and all things.”
The LAST thing the human race needs at this pivotal, precarious, wars-and-rumors-of-wars moment in history is soulless, non-discerning, coldly-harmful-and-destructive, autonomous (artificial intelligence-driven) war.
Peace.]
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UK Intel Role in Iran War UK Says It’s Not In
April 30, 2026
Ministry of Defence satellite data analysed by Declassified UK indicate Britain had a more active role in Iran war than ministers admit, Abdullah Farooq and John McEvoy report.
The UK Space Command uniform patch, being worn by personnel at RAF Fylingdales. (Charliehaines /Wikimedia Commons /CC BY-SA 4.0)
By Abdullah Farooq and John McEvoy
Declassified UKThe U.K. government has played a quiet intelligence role in the illegal U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, satellite data analysed by Declassified suggests.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) sent its first earth imaging satellite, named Tyche, into space in August 2024.
The satellite can obtain images with a 90cm resolution within a 5-kilometer imaging swath, enabling the identification of military targets with high resolution.
“The washing machine-sized spacecraft will have sufficient resolution to identify battlefield troop positions and vehicles,” the BBC reported.
Analysis of Tyche’s recent movements indicates the satellite increased passes over Iran before the Twelve-Day War last June as well as the latest conflict.
While the MoD says Tyche’s orbit has not been deliberately altered, the number of passes over Iran spiked from 12 in April last year to 39 in May and 50 in June, representing an overall increase of over 300 percent.
Passes over Iran declined between July and September before increasing again in October to 55, reaching an all-time high of 69 in December and remaining elevated during the 2026 war.
The satellite also passed over some military targets in Iran shortly before they were attacked by the U.S. or Israel.
The information suggests Britain has played a more active intelligence role than ministers admit, and appears to further challenge the government’s claim of only “defensive” participation.
An MoD spokesperson refused to say whether British satellite imagery over Iran had been shared with the U.S. or Israel, citing “intelligence” reasons.
[On April 29, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
“My position on the Iran war has been clear from the start. We’re not going to get dragged into this war. It is not our war and a lot of pressure has been applied to me to take a different course… I’m not going to change my mind. I’m not going to yield. It is not in our national interest to join this war and we will not do so. I know where I stand.”
However, the BBC reported that Starmer said on March 6:
“Look, the special relationship is in operation right now. We’re sharing intelligence on a 24/7 basis in the usual way. That is the special relationship.”
Satellite activity
Declassified used open-source two-line element (TLE) data and a propagation algorithm to determine where the satellite had gone since September 2024, and calculated the imaging swath based on the scene width, resolution, and inclination of the satellite.
Two-line element data provides the satellite’s position and timestamp, the algorithm shows where the satellite is in Earth-centered coordinates, and the swath calculation determines where the satellite could have been imaging.
Passes over the earth at night were filtered out, as the satellite is only capable of acquiring daytime imagery.
The results show a high concentration of daytime passes over Iran before and during the Twelve-Day War as well as before and during the latest conflict.
Data show increase in passes over Iran during key moments of geopolitical significance. (Data from space-track.org analysed by Abdullah Farooq)
The data was compared with randomly chosen locations in Mexico and western Europe with the same measurement area to assess if the increase in passes over Iran was not part of a broader trend.
No significant increase was observed in these other areas over the same period.
Open source tracking of airstrikes on Iranian targets was also compared with the calculated imaging swath of the satellite.
This data indicates that Tyche passed over the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Amand missile base just north of Tabriz, the IRGC Aerospace Force’s air defence command in Tehran and the Parachin military complex, shortly before those sites were attacked.
Taken together, the data points to a deliberate decision by the MoD to collect aerial imagery over Iran at key moments of geopolitical significance, consistent with ministerial statements on U.K. Space Command’s support to allies in the region.
The MoD denies altering the movements of Tyche at any point since it was launched, even though the Royal Air Force (RAF) explicitly stated last year that the satellite had “demonstrate[d]” its “ability to capture imagery from anywhere on earth when Defence needs it.”
Satellite imagery taken by Tyche over Heathrow Airport in London. (MoD via Declassified UK)
When asked to clarify the RAF’s statement and explain apparent changes in the Tyche’s orbital trajectory, the MoD stopped responding.
While the U.S. has its own military satellites (many of which are more powerful than Tyche), Britain’s contribution appears to focus on burden sharing and developing operational capacity, particularly in terms of locating, tracking, and intercepting missiles.
Any such intelligence collaboration, moreover, could be part of an effort to placate Trump amid deteriorating diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Britain.
Last month, a parliamentary defence committee issued a cryptic statement based on a secret official briefing about the U.K. government’s role in the war.
It found a “considerable gap between some of the political rhetoric circulating internationally, and the reality of the U.K.’s support to the United States and regional partners”.
‘Monitoring Daily Iranian Missile Activity’
U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey and Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14. (Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street /Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
The U.K. government has remained guarded about the extent of its intelligence collaboration with the U.S. and Israel amid the war on Iran.
Last month, for instance, the MoD refused to say which countries it was sharing Tyche’s satellite imagery with. Defence Minister Al Carns said: “We cannot comment on the sharing of data from… Tyche satellite with other countries.”
In an overlooked speech from last month, however, U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey admitted that “UK Space Command is monitoring daily Iranian missile activity.”
He added that U.K. Space Command had
“provided early warning to our armed forces and our allies operating across the region.”
As the only MoD-owned aerial imaging satellite, Tyche would seem a primary contender for assisting in such operations.
Another briefing by Defence Minister Luke Pollard, which was delivered in private but obtained by Declassified, offers additional clues about the role of British satellite operations in the war.
Pollard said last month that artificial intelligence (AI) applications were “helping save lives in the Middle East, protecting British citizens, British bases and British allies across the Gulf.”
He went on to acknowledge that the U.K. government was “using AI to enhance the speed of backfield decision making, to analyse satellite images.”
This effort might be assisted by Palantir, [the data analysis and AI software company], which sponsored a U.K. Space Command conference in 2024 and said it was “pushing AI to the very edge of space in ways that’s never been seen before” while supporting “agile operations for our allies in the U.S. [and] U.K.”
This month, the U.K. and U.S. also signed a joint declaration on deepening military cooperation in space.
The statement, signed by senior members of the Royal Air Force and U.S. Space Force, notes that this includes “military collaboration and cooperation in the current threat environment to avoid operational surprise.”
US Dependence
As part of his “Arsenal of Freedom Tour,” U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth tours SpaceX facilities in Brownsville, Texas, with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk in January. (DoW/Alexander Kubitza)
While the Tyche is branded as the MoD’s first “wholly owned” earth imaging satellite, it was launched into orbit with the assistance of a SpaceX Falcon rocket flying out of California.
Black Arrow, Britain’s first satellite launch system, was retired in 1971 — making the U.K. the only country to have developed and then abandoned a satellite launch capability.
Recent efforts to build domestic spaceports are yet to result in any successful launches of satellites into orbit, with Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit project in Cornwall going bankrupt after a failed mission.
As a result, satellites owned by the U.K. government — as well as those produced commercially with MoD support — require international assistance to get them into space.
The MoD plans to launch several more spy satellites — including Juno, Oberon, and Titania – in the coming years, all of which appear likely to be launched by SpaceX.
Juno will build on the capabilities of Tyche by also capturing daytime images of the Earth’s surface, “strengthening the U.K.’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance capabilities.”
Oberon will use synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) imaging, allowing it to obtain high-resolution imagery during the day and night, providing even deeper surveillance capabilities.
Another MoD satellite, SKYNET 6A, will enhance space-based communications capabilities and serve GCHQ, [Government Communications Headquarters, a U.K. intelligence agency], and is scheduled for launch by SpaceX in 2027.
The reliance on SpaceX raises questions about how sovereign Britain’s satellite capabilities really are, and prompts concerns about dependency on the company and its CEO, Elon Musk.
Musk, a South African resident of the U.S., was revealed to have discussed ways to oust Starmer before the next election, and has emerged as an ally of far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Similar concerns have even been acknowledged in Whitehall.
In November 2025, a parliamentary report entitled “The Space Economy: Act Now or Lose Out” observed how Musk’s Starlink had threatened to “cut off users to gain political leverage”.
The report recommended that “future plans for UK space capabilities should reckon with the impacts of U.K. dependence on SpaceX and look to ensure access to diversified and/or sovereign services where possible”.
It added: “The government should conduct research on the potential impacts of loss of access to SpaceX services.”
Satellite Wars
Satellites have become a heavy focus of media attention during the war on Iran.
Planet Labs, a California-based satellite imagery company, was asked by the U.S. government last month to restrict “access to images of Iran and large parts of the Middle East.”
The request came amid apparent embarrassment within the Trump administration about the heavy losses incurred to its military and intelligence infrastructure in the region, as well as concerns that the platform could be used to enhance Iran’s intelligence capabilities.
Commercial satellite companies have been sent guidance by the U.S. military on what “language and terms to avoid” when describing damage caused to its bases.
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised about Chinese and Russian satellite support to Iran, indicating that the sharing of satellite imagery may be seen as co-belligerency.
On April 15, for instance, it was reported that the IRGC had “secretly acquired” a Chinese military satellite system.
The Financial Times reported that Iranian military commanders “tasked the satellite to monitor key U.S. military sites” before using it “to guide strikes” against them.
Abdullah Farooq is a researcher and independent journalist. His work focuses on mapping military logistics around the world.
John McEvoy is Chief Reporter for Declassified UK. John is an historian and filmmaker whose work focuses on British foreign policy and Latin America. His PhD was on Britain’s Secret Wars in Colombia between 1948 and 2009, and he is currently working on a documentary about Britain’s role in the rise of Augusto Pinochet.
This article is from Declassified UK.
#ArtificialIntelligenceAndWar #AutonomousWeapons #InternationalLaw #Philosophy #PoliticalScience #Religion #Theology -
Last Chance to apply for the Professorial Position in Observational Astrophysics or Cosmology at Maynooth University!
A couple of months ago I announced here a vacancy for a Professor of Observational Astrophysics or Cosmology at Maynooth. The position is on the AAS Jobs Register here. The deadline is 31st March 2025 which is today so if you were thinking of applying then this is your last chance! Applications close at 23.30 Irish Time; the clocks went forward yesterday so it’s actually 00.30 tomorrow CEST so you still have time. The application portal is here.
The strategic case for this Chair revolves around broader developments in the area of astrophysics and cosmology at Maynooth. Currently there are two groups active in research in these areas, one in the former Department of Experimental Physics (which is largely focussed on astronomical instrumentation) and the other, in the former Department of Theoretical Physics, which is theoretical and computational. We want to promote closer collaboration between these research strands. The idea with the new position is that the holder will nucleate and lead a research programme in the area between these existing groups as well as getting involved in outreach and public engagement.
It is intended that the position to appeal not only to people undertaking observational programmes using ground-based facilities (e.g. those provided by ESO, which Ireland recently joined), or those exploiting data from space-based experiments, such as Euclid, as well as people working on multi-messenger astrophysics, gravitational waves, and so on.
P. S. For those of you reading this from outside Ireland the job is tenured and includes a defined benefit pension way better than the equivalent UK system.
#Astrophysics #Cosmology #MaynoothUniversity #SALI #StrategicAcademicLeadershipInitiative
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Professorial Position in Observational Astrophysics or Cosmology at Maynooth University!
It’s been a couple of weeks since I announced a job opportunity in the form of Professorial Position in Observational Astrophysics or Cosmology at Maynooth University. After a short bureaucratic delay the announcement has just appeared on the AAS Jobs Register here, which gives me an excuse to post about the poistion again. The deadline is 31st March 2025. I hope readers of this blog will help spread the news of this opportunity through their own networks.
The strategic case for this Chair revolves around broader developments in the area of astrophysics and cosmology at Maynooth. Currently there are two groups active in research in these areas, one in the former Department of Experimental Physics (which is largely focussed on astronomical instrumentation) and the other, in the former Department of Theoretical Physics, which is theoretical and computational. We want to promote closer collaboration between these research strands. The idea with the new position is that the holder will nucleate and lead a research programme in the area between these existing groups as well as getting involved in outreach and public engagement.
It is intended that the position to appeal not only to people undertaking observational programmes using ground-based facilities (e.g. those provided by ESO, which Ireland recently joined), or those exploiting data from space-based experiments, such as Euclid, as well as people working on multi-messenger astrophysics, gravitational waves, and so on.
P. S. For those of you reading this from outside Ireland the job includes a proper public service pension, a defined benefit scheme way better than the UK’s USS.
#Astrophysics #Cosmology #MaynoothUniversity #SALI #StrategicAcademicLeadershipInitiative
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Professorial Position in Observational Astrophysics or Cosmology at Maynooth University!
You may recall that back in November 2021 we received word that Maynooth University had been awarded one of ten new senior professorial positions under the Strategic Academic Leadership Initiative (SALI). I blogged about this scheme here. The position we were awarded is a Chair (Full Professorship) in Observational Astrophysics or Cosmology.
We haven’t been able to make an appointment so far, despite trying! One of the reasons was undoubtedly that the two previous Departments of Theoretical Physics and Experimental Physics were in the throes of a merger and it was by no means certain at that time what the outcome of that process would look like in terms of the structure of the new Department. However, we now have a single Department of Physics so that at least is much clearer. So we’re trying again now.
The job announcement can be found here. It will appear on other sites shortly. Update: it is now on the Times Higher Jobs page here. The deadline is 31st March. I hope readers of this blog will help spread the news of this opportunity through their own networks.
The key rationale for these SALI positions is clear from the statement from Simon Harris, the (then) Minister responsible for Third Level education in Ireland:
“Championing equality and diversity is one of the key goals of my department. The Senior Academic Leadership Initiative (SALI) is an important initiative aimed at advancing gender equality and the representation of women at the highest levels in our higher education institutions.
We have a particular problem with gender balance among the staff in Physics in Maynooth, especially on the theoretical side, where all the permanent staff are male, and the lack of role models has a clear effect on our ability to encourage more female students to study with us.
The wider strategic case for this Chair revolves around broader developments in the area of astrophysics and cosmology at Maynooth. Currently there are two groups active in research in these areas, one in the former Department of Experimental Physics (which is largely focussed on astronomical instrumentation) and the other, in the former Department of Theoretical Physics, which is theoretical and computational. We want to promote closer collaboration between these research strands. The idea with the new position is that the holder will nucleate and lead a research programme in the area between these existing groups as well as getting involved in outreach and public engagement.
It is intended that the position to appeal not only to people undertaking observational programmes using ground-based facilities (e.g. those provided by ESO, which Ireland recently joined), or those exploiting data from space-based experiments, such as Euclid, as well as people working on multi-messenger astrophysics, gravitational waves, and so on.
Exciting as this position is in itself, it is part of wider developments and we are expecting to advertise further job opportunities in physics and astronomy very soon! I’d be happy to be contacted by any eligible person wishing to discuss this position (or indeed the general situation in Maynooth) on an informal basis:
Submit a form.P. S. For those of you reading this from outside Ireland the job includes a proper public service pension, a defined benefit scheme way better than the UK’s USS.
#Astrophysics #Cosmology #MaynoothUniversity #SALI #StrategicAcademicLeadershipInitiative
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"ChatGPT says on this <social issue our group in a meeting disagrees on>: ..." is the most disturbing type of discussion contribution I encountered this week. Is that what we are succumbing to? Listening uncritically to machine garbage made from stolen data piles? #ChatGPT #societalimpact #learningfrommachines #bananas #ohthehumanity
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Sat on a large conference dinner table today with a Palestinian (from Gaza, several family members dead) and a Ukrainian (late because was on the phone with family in Kiev) researcher. Meanwhile, I know a Israeli researcher on an ERC with two students. Petitions at work are disallowed, but our systems *are* picking winners and loosers. What can we do? We should not blame individuals, but we also cannot stand by, can we? #geopolitics #AcademicChatter #astrodon #war #Colonialism #systemicbarriers
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I'm still debating reporting through other channels... I don't want to make the victim be a victim defined by this situation.
I wanted to ask her whether she wants help / a witness reporting it, but couldn't yet find a good situation to do it.Advice welcome, especially from female #astrodon.
It's a problem.
#harassment #office #professionalbehaviour #sexism #sexualharassment #WorkplaceHarassment #workplacenorms
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Corollary: when discussing news or science from other sources, pass that information forward! Instead of "scientists say wine reduces cancer risk" say "In 2016, Fred in Wisconson fed 100 rats water and another 100 rats wine and after 16 weeks measured their ..." #scientificliteracy #science #scicomm #astrodon
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"How do we know this?" is such a useful phrase. Every citizen should demand this from experts and news media rather than only results&claims. #scientificliteracy #science #scicomm #astrodon
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What's the appropriate response if an American postdoc says they are so excited about data/project X but their tone and gesturing is flat and unengaged, opposite to the words.
Am I allowed to bring it up as "What makes you concerned about X, is there something wrong?" or similar.
Seems strange to me to leave it unaddressed, but I understand American culture is sorta requiring positive and enthusiastic language.
#Astrodon #AcademicChatter #confused #culturalDifferences #Americans #Question
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Another #faculty job interview ending with a #rejection letter. Why do I give this field so much in terms of widely used #datascience tools for a solid foundation, citizenship, helping colleagues with their data analysis, #hiring panels, advising students, improving the institute life, fixing conflicts in working groups, empowering underrepresented groups.. what counts: flashy quick results, reeling in grants for #physics questions & the committee already knows u. 😔 #Astrodon #AcademicChatter
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Another #faculty job interview ending with a #rejection letter. Why do I give this field so much in terms of widely used #datascience tools for a solid foundation, citizenship, helping colleagues with their data analysis, #hiring panels, advising students, improving the institute life, fixing conflicts in working groups, empowering underrepresented groups.. what counts: flashy quick results, reeling in grants for #physics questions & the committee already knows u. 😔 #Astrodon #AcademicChatter
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Saw a institute announcing their latest #data #science #astrophysicist #professor #hire, saying how passionate he is about his #hobby, piloting planes. Really? In this day and age, we are proud of that? Should I say I love beating animals as a hobby? If you still love #flying today you are either bad at #physics or dislike #data, or you don't believe in the #scientificmethod. #WTF #climatechange #astrodon #AcademicChatter
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Imagine the #trolleyproblem, but instead of 5 vs. 1 people it is cows and chickens suffering and causing #climatechange vs. you gaining a slightly higher #risk of #cancer. That's how I feel when people say "#meatreplacements do not taste the same, look at the #NutriScore, I want the original." #okay.
But the most exciting thing about the meat replacements industry will be exploring the space of possible creations between poultry/pork/beef that no human has tasted yet.
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Day 5 of "how long can I ignore my boring admin TODO items and play with astro data instead?" #astrodonchatter #researchlife #travelreimbursementsareboring
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At least my cough is productive today
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The paper is still not #rejected #AcademicChatter #astrodon
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Thanks for #applying to our position in the #physics department. Your research is excellent. But your pitch went too much into subdivision A, while we are subdivision B. Please apply next time subdivision A has a call. No, we don't write in the ad that we want someone in A. We write physics department, consisting of A and B. #insiderknowledgerequired #AcademicChatter #astrodon
Sorry for trying to build bridges in your organization.
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I don't really bring up this with the students, it will panic them, because they all expect me to make it - easily.
Other #postdocs are equally stressed out, so the prevailing strategy is #toxicpositivity #mentalhealth. And it's surprising how many days a man can go without being asked "How are you?" That said, I am still happy when underrepresented folks get the jobs ... there are some great people out there. #AcademicChatter #Astrodon