I've been too busy with moving to a recently bought house, so I haven't been watching it much lately.
Perhaps it has something to do with Russian crew members photographing Georgia...? Have you seen this?
http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2008/08/using_the_iss_t.html
Using the ISS To Do Military Recon?
Cosmonaut Photographed South Ossetia From ISS, Aviation Week
"On Aug. 9 Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko used a digital camera equipped with an 800mm telephoto lens and a video camera to photograph "after-effects of border conflict operations in the Caucasus," according to the ISS status report for that day published by NASA on its website."
NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 9 August 2008
"Also working from the discretionary task list, Oleg Kononenko conducted another session of the Russian GFI-8 "Uragan" (hurricane) earth-imaging program, using the D2X digital camera with the F800 telephoto lens and the HVR-Z1J SONY video camera. Uplinked target areas were glaciers on the north slope of the main Caucasus Ridge, the Dombai region, after-effects of border conflict operations in the Caucasus ..."
There's a long thread on it on USENET in sci.space.station:
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.space.station/browse_thread/thread/dc5f6d7e9565b423?hl=en#
http://tinyurl.com/5bmwrd
Cosmonaut's photos of Georgia spur inquiry
Robert Block and Mark K. Matthews | Sentinel Staff Writers
August 26, 2008
CAPE CANAVERAL - Just days after the Russian army rolled into Georgia, Moscow instructed a Russian crew member aboard the international space station to shoot pictures of the breakaway South Ossetia province from 200 miles above Earth.
Russia claims that cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko's photos Aug. 9 were part of a digital-mapping exercise, done for "humanitarian" reasons. But some space experts say it is possible the pictures were part of a military-related reconnaissance exercise that made use of the vantage point of the orbiting lab complex.
The incident, referenced in a status report on NASA's Web site more than two weeks ago and first reported by Aviation Week, comes as reaction to the Russian invasion of Georgia is threatening to disrupt America's space program.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/oviedo/orl-station2608aug26,0,7133437.story
http://tinyurl.com/68vkxd
Bill Madewell said:
Is it me or has anybody else noticed this also. I enjoy watching the LiVE NASA channel, and in the past, you allways see the live pictures from the ISS of the beautiful views of mother Earth, and also the daily activities inside the ISS of the Astronauts and Cosmonauts. There has been No video feeds from the ISS since the actions of our partners the Russians or our American Astronaut. I can't find any info on this in the NASA websites, and it has been going on for a little over 2 weeks.It's also strange that the mainstream News channels have said nothing at all..
If anybody has any news on this, please send it too me.Thanks,
Bill
