allardjd 1,853 Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 I've spotted something curious on Google Earth and wonder what you think we are seeing there... Go to Tinker Air Force Base and look along the length of runway 17/35. It has me scratching my head. I know what they are, but not sure why they are doing what they seem to be doing. I also see a couple of other things about the same objects that require some explanation. Do any of you see anything odd about this? John Link to post Share on other sites
hurricanemk1c 195 Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 John - the 707 AWACS is taking off. The reason for seemingly many 707's is becuase the 707 is moving, and the 'map' is made of many pictures, taken within seconds of each other, so anything moving will be repeated Hope it makes sense! Link to post Share on other sites
mutley 4,498 Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 AWAC school? I think it is odd that the leader has no ground shadow :icon_yikes: Perhaps they have been airbrushed in to give the Chinese and Russians something to think about. Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted August 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 The lack of a shadow for the lead is what I noticed too, and the spacing is irregular. If moving objects are "repeated" wouldn't automobiles on a high-speed expressway be subject to the same thing? I've never seen AC repeated on satellite images before and have seen AC in flight a number of times on GE. I'm not a conspiracy theorist and expect that there's a plausible explanation, but not sure I'm ready to buy into that one just yet. If there are seven images in the length of a runway that's a lot finer photo mosaic than I'd have expected and there is certainly no sign of the intrstices of the individual photos. I've seen obvious disconinuities many times on GE Shots, but can't detect it here. Also, given the length of that runway, if that's multiple images of a single aircraft taking off I'd expect the spacings to be regular, with a possible slight increase in spacing as his speed increased marginally from liftoff (1st image) to cruise climb (last image). With the distances involved it would probably take about 30 seconds for the E3 to transit from the first image to the seventh. The passage speed of a satellite is much, much faster than that. John Link to post Share on other sites
hurricanemk1c 195 Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 I remember a topic on Airliners.net of a similar aircraft (on the ground at Heathrow I think), and my explaination being the same as the topic answer It does seem strange though! Link to post Share on other sites
ddavid 149 Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 Maybe it's AI? Cheers - Dai. Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted August 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 It appears Kieran is correct. I did a little research and there's something similar - 3 instances of a Lufthansa 747 (I think) off the deperture end of runway 7L at Franfurt, Germany. In that case there are also two images of a distinctive pair of trucks passing one another on a nearby, parallel highway too. Vulcan would never buy that explanation, but I will. Problem solved. Thanks, Kieran. John Link to post Share on other sites
hurricanemk1c 195 Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 It is indeed a Lufty 747-430 But the funniest reply award must go to Dai! Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted August 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 There's an interesting technical aspect here, however. The satellite camera must be taking multiple shots as it passes, sometime by dumb luck capturing multiple imagages of a moving object as the object transits along it's own path. The interesting part is that the camera must also be panning backwards as it takes the sequence. We're seeing AC travelling at, lets say 150 knots about 10 or fewer plane lengths apart (I'm going by re-call here - didn't go back to measure accurately). If the AC is about 200 feet long, that's 2,000 feet travelled between images. At 150 knots, that takes about 7.5 seconds. In that same 7.5 seconds, the satellite will have covered far more distance, say 16,000 feet. That suggests to me that the camera is panning backward during the sequence of shots, so that images taken 7.5 seconds apart are only 2,000 feet apart in distance, rather than the miles further on you'd get with a fixed camera. It would be interesting to know the design details of the camera. I'd guess there is a continually rotating lens element and the image is wiped across a sensor array, probably cylindrical. Doing that, there would be no edge to the image in one axis (direction of flight) IF you can process the sensor data quickly enough. It may also be that a retrograde rotation of the satellite itself plays into this. Fascinating stuff. John Link to post Share on other sites
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