SA Joining the Space Race "soon" !
GunsssR4ever
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SA Joining the Space Race "soon" !
South Africa may soon get another full-scale space programme within the next five years that could generate more than R1bn in revenue for the country. One of the country's leading space engineers, Professor Arnold Schoonwinkel of the University of Stellenbosch, will address the Western Cape parliament on Wednesday on the recommended ZA satellite programme.
The cost of such a programme is estimated at just under R200m and is expected to yield R1.2bn.
Schoonwinkel said on Tuesday: "We plan to operate a programme for two satellites in a five-year period. Both will be image-observation satellites."
Schoonwinkel was in charge of the Sunsat programme, South Africa and Africa's first satellite, that was successfully launched in 1999. A copy of Sunsat 1 was recently sold in the United States.
The new programme could see a highly secret test site of the Armscor affiliate, Houwteq, which was mothballed in the early 1990s, reopened.
The satellite test site was built covertly near Grabouw in the 1980s at a cost of about R5bn.
At least three partly completed flight-module satellites have been housed in a sealed, dust-free assembly hall for nearly a decade.
Three other countries will join South Africa in its latest space-technology venture - Bavaria (Germany), Algeria and Nigeria. Each of the countries will develop a satellite and put it in orbit.
The four will be launched to form a constellation around the earth.
"We will be able to use the data from all four satellites. Each country will share in the benefits of the technology, the training and the creation of industries," said Schoonwinkel.
GunsssR4ever
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Nigeria Joins the Space Race as well !
Pressume it will be stolen or 419 before launch Nigeria, one of the world's poorest countries, is to launch its own space programme in the form of an agency that will develop rocket and satellite technology, Transport Minister Ojo Madueke announced on Wednesday.
He said the government had allocated three billion naira for the programme and that the agency will receive 2.5 billion naira annually in the next three years with the aim of becoming self- financing.
Although Nigeria is the world's sixth largest oil exporter, it has an external debt of $28.5 billion, according to government figures, and is struggling to provide its citizens with roads, education and basic health services.
With a per capita annual income of $300, it is one of the world's 20 poorest countries, according to World Bank figures.
President Olusegun Obasanjo will head the National Council on Space Science Technology, which will oversee the programme, and Vice President Atiku Abubakar will be deputy chairman.
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South Africa? Nigeria? Space programme? The Commonwealth and Bob? If I may indulge in a bit of wishful thinking...not much on the moon for our uncle B from Z to f
up...no AIDS on the moon for a certain health minister to fn' hide from (and by the way, no German speaking gentleman to swear at)...no neighbouring countries on the moon so no need for a foreign affairs minister...and, oh yes, the Yanks are not going to the moon too soon so maybe they'll book a seat or two as well for Os Bin L, Sadly Insane and their cronies. If that's what I'm thinking, maybe they can call the first space ship to launch "BoMaZu".
I think this post belongs on the Campfire but there's no "SPACE" there.
Sorry 4HP.
GunsssR4ever
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Bakela my brother works for and he told me he visited about a month ago.
He was absolutely schocked to find a perfect (looking) sattelite in a storage area at .
Apparently "we" where just about ready for launch when the New South Africa arrived and all was put on hold.
Uhm .... is near Stellenbosch where this Professor is.
Imagine we could have launched our "own" sattelite in the 80's
Once again (brag .. brag ..) at a STAGE .. we where way ahead of a few first world countries ... in weapons .. aircraft .. and technology !
But ..
and he told me he visited about a month ago.He was absolutely schocked to find a perfect (looking) sattelite in a storage area at
.Apparently "we" where just about ready for launch when the New South Africa arrived and all was put on hold.
Uhm ....
is near Stellenbosch where this Professor is.Imagine we could have launched our "own" sattelite in the 80's
Once again (brag .. brag ..) at a STAGE .. we where way ahead of a few first world countries ... in weapons .. aircraft .. and technology !
But ..
Funsa Bomb Cracker
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Bomb Cracker
You Guy's should get old Mark Shuttleworth to drive this thing, he is a "Captain" now and I believe he's got a nice attendant to take with.
Send one boertjie with & you will make history with the first Astrounaut, Cosmonaught & Hot Naught on board?
VROTTELS
Send one boertjie with & you will make history with the first Astrounaut, Cosmonaught & Hot Naught on board?
VROTTELS
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Astronaut
Haai Gunship,
The Boertjie Being the "Astronaut" off course....The rest are there already?
vrottels
???
???
Guns,
dink jy MS het al heuning uitgehaal???
vrottels
??
The Boertjie Being the "Astronaut" off course....The rest are there already?
vrottels
???
???Guns,
dink jy MS het al heuning uitgehaal???
vrottels
??
