Bing Hitched a Ride To Space
The recent launch of a Delta 2 satellite saw the names of two search engines carried to space with it. While Bing saw its name launched into space on the rocket’s side, Google subsequently announced a partnership with DigitalGlobe, the company behind the surveillance satellite named WorldView 2. For both engines, this means incredibly high levels of imagery provided Google and Bing Maps. Chris Pendleton from Microsoft wrote, “We now have access to one of the highest resolution global satellite imagery and aerial photography collections (460 million sq. km. + 1 million sq. km. per day moving forward) through a deal we’ve just struck with DigitalGlobe.” Furthermore, areas that have previously not received aerial view coverage, such as Poland, Hungary, Russia, Taiwan, and Mexico, will now be filled in.
DigitalGlobe predicts that WorldView 2 will double the company’s capacity to collect imagery. The top resolution of this satellite can astoundingly detect features as small as 0.46 meters. In theory, that could spot a dog or cat running around! This new addition to both Google and Bing Maps will bring us some pretty crisp images from around the globe.
Microsoft is also using this experience to launch Mission: 1000 Rockets, “an educational project developed by Bing to both inspire passion for scientific discovery in young people and to celebrate the launch of the Delta II rocket…” In other words, it is a rocket design contest in the US to get young people across the country to learn about rockets, rocketry, and more general scientific principles.
Here’s a peek at the launch:
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