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Hammaguir
Hammaguir (also written Hamaguir and Hammaguira) () is a village in Abadla District, Béchar Province, Algeria, south-west of Béchar. It lies on the N50 national highway between Béchar and Tindouf. The location is notable for its role in French rocketry. Hamaguir Airport is located there. Role in French rocketry and spaceflight Between 1947 and 1967 there was a rocket launch site, the Interarmy Special Vehicles Test Centre (abbreviated CIEES in French), near Hammaguir, used by France for launching sounding rockets and the satellite carrier ''"Diamant"'' between 1965 and 1967. The Diamant launch pad at Hammaguir is located a30° 46′ 41″ N, 3° 3′ 14″ W The CIEES facility was also used for testing surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles. The first French satellite Astérix was launched from there in 1965. In honor of its role in the early development of French spaceflight, its name was given to a Martian crater in 1979 and to an asteroid crater in 2009. Notab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Centre Interarmées D'essais D'engins Spéciaux
The Centre Interarmées d'Essais d'Engins Spéciaux (CIEES, ) was France's first space launch and ballistic missile testing facility. Outside France, the facility is often referred to by the name of the nearest town, Hammaguir. It was established on 24 April 1947, by ministerial decree as the Special Weapons Test Center (CEES, ''Centre d'essais d'engins spéciaux'') for use by the French Army. In 1948, it was turned over to the French Air Force, who renamed it CIEES. Its remote location in the middle of the Saharan Desert and its relative closeness to the Equator (compared with Metropolitan France) made it an attractive launch site for missiles and orbital rockets. History The origins of CIEES and the French missile and space program date to the end of the Second World War. On 12 June 1945, less than a month after V-E Day, the War Department ordered the study of self-propelled projectiles (rockets). On 13 August, the Directorate of Studies and Manufactures of Armaments (DEFA) p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Hammaguir (crater)
Hammaguir (also written Hamaguir and Hammaguira) () is a village in Abadla District, Béchar Province, Algeria, south-west of Béchar. It lies on the N50 national highway between Béchar and Tindouf. The location is notable for its role in French rocketry. Hamaguir Airport is located there. Role in French rocketry and spaceflight Between 1947 and 1967 there was a rocket launch site, the Interarmy Special Vehicles Test Centre (abbreviated CIEES in French), near Hammaguir, used by France for launching sounding rockets and the satellite carrier ''"Diamant"'' between 1965 and 1967. The Diamant launch pad at Hammaguir is located a30° 46′ 41″ N, 3° 3′ 14″ W The CIEES facility was also used for testing surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles. The first French satellite Astérix was launched from there in 1965. In honor of its role in the early development of French spaceflight, its name was given to a Martian crater in 1979 and to an asteroid crater in 2009. Notable ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Diamant
The Diamant rocket (French for "diamond") was the first exclusively French expendable launch system and at the same time the first satellite launcher not built by either the United States or USSR. As such, it has been referred to as being a key predecessor for all subsequent European launcher projects. The head of the project, Charley Attali, received the Legion of Honour in 1965 for the Diamant. During 1962, development of the Diamant commenced as the inaugural spacecraft project of France's space agency, the CNES, Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). As a project, it was derived from the military program ''pierres précieuses'' (fr.: gemstones) that included the five prototypes Agate (rocket), Agate, Topaze (rocket), Topaze, Emeraude (rocket), Emeraude, Rubis (rocket), Rubis and Saphir (rocket), Saphir (Agate, Topaz, Emerald, Ruby and Sapphire), and drew heavily upon the knowledge and technologies that had been previously developed. On 26 November 1965, the Diamant A pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
25143 Itokawa
25143 Itokawa (provisional designation ) is a sub-kilometer near-Earth object of the Apollo group and also a potentially hazardous asteroid. It was discovered by the LINEAR program in 1998 and later named after Japanese rocket engineer Hideo Itokawa. The peanut-shaped S-type asteroid has a rotation period of 12.1 hours and measures approximately in diameter. Due to its low density and high porosity, Itokawa is considered to be a rubble pile, consisting of numerous boulders of different sizes rather than of a single solid body. It was the first asteroid to be the target of a sample-return mission, of the Japanese space probe ''Hayabusa'', which collected more than 1500 regolith dust particles from the asteroid's surface in 2005. Since its return to Earth in 2010, the mineralogy, petrography, chemistry, and isotope ratios of these particles have been studied in detail, providing insights into the evolution of the Solar System. Itokawa was the smallest asteroid to be photograph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Astérix (satellite)
''Astérix'' or A-1 (initially conceptualized as FR.2 or FR-2) is the first French satellite. It was launched on 26 November 1965 by a Diamant A rocket from the CIEES launch site at Hammaguir, Algeria. With ''Astérix'', France became the sixth country to have an artificial satellite and the third country to launch a satellite on its own rocket. Its main purpose was to test the Diamant launcher, though it was also designed to study the ionosphere. ''Astérix'' continues to orbit Earth as of 2023 and is expected to remain in orbit for centuries. Background The French space agencies Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) and Centre national d'études des télécommunications (CNET) were developing ''Astérix'' concurrent with FR-1, another satellite, as early as 1963. FR-1 was the first step of an ambitious French plan to launch six FR-series satellites, each meant to study a different aspect of the Earth's atmosphere. FR-1 was generally designed to study the Earth's magnet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Abadla
Abadla () is a town and commune in western Algeria, and capital of Abadla District, Béchar Province. It is located on the Oued Guir southwest of Béchar. According to the 2008 census its population is 13,636, up from 10,845 in 1998, and an annual growth rate of 2.4%, making it the most populated commune in Béchar Province apart from the capital. The commune covers an area of . It is a major centre for the Arab Doui-Menia tribe. Geography Abadla's location on the Oued Guir allows the growing of grain, facilitated in recent decades by the Djorf Torba dam located upstream. The area south of the town is mostly a flat plain, but there are several rocky hills found to the north of the town. The Abbadla district is located on the banks of Wadi Qir, surrounded by the high Hamada Qir on more than two sides, from the northwest to the southwest. There are also northern highlands extending from the Saharan Atlas Mountains, the most important of which are the Shabakt Jahani highlan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Launch Site
A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching or receiving spacecraft, by analogy to a seaport for ships or an airport for aircraft. The word ''spaceport''—and even more so ''cosmodrome''—has traditionally referred to sites capable of launching spacecraft into Earth orbit or on interplanetary trajectories. However, rocket launch sites for sub-orbital spaceflights are also sometimes called spaceports, especially as new and proposed facilities for suborbital commercial spaceflight are often branded as "spaceports." Space stations and proposed future lunar bases are also sometimes referred to as spaceports, particularly when envisioned as nodes for further interplanetary travel. Spaceports are evolving beyond traditional government-run complexes into multi-functional aerospace hubs, increasingly driven by private companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic. A prominent example is Starbase, a private spaceport operated by SpaceX in Boca Chica, Texas. Starba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Erg Ferradj
Erg Ferradj () is a town and commune in Abadla District, Béchar Province, in western Algeria. According to the 2008 census its population is 4,406, down from 4,670 in 1998, and an annual population growth rate of -0.6%, the second lowest in the province. The commune covers an area of . Geography Erg Ferradj lies at an elevation of to the west of an extensive palm plantation covering 3000 hectares lying along the western side of the Oued Guir. The rocky hills of the hamada are found on both sides of the river, but are more dramatic on the eastern side. Climate Erg Ferradj has a hot desert climate, with extremely hot summers and cool winters, and very little precipitation throughout the year. Economy Agriculture is the main industry in Erg Ferradj. The commune has a total of of arable land found mainly to the east of the town, of which is irrigated. There are a total of 116,040 date palms planted in the commune. As of 2009 there were 9,575 sheep, 6,050 goats, 714 camels, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Working Group For Planetary System Nomenclature
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; , UAI) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and development through global cooperation. It was founded on 28 July 1919 in Brussels, Belgium and is based in Paris, France. The IAU is composed of individual members, who include both professional astronomers and junior scientists, and national members, such as professional associations, national societies, or academic institutions. Individual members are organised into divisions, committees, and working groups centered on particular subdisciplines, subjects, or initiatives. the Union had 85 national members and 12,734 individual members, spanning 90 countries and territories. Among the key activities of the IAU is serving as a forum for scientific conferences. It sponsors nine annual symposia and holds a triannual General Assembly that sets policy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Provinces Of Algeria
Algeria, as of 2024, is divided into 58 wilaya, wilayas (province, provinces). Prior to December 18, 2019, there were 48 provinces. The 58 provinces are divided into 1,541 baladiyahs (Municipalities of Algeria, municipalities). The name of a province is always that of its capital city. According to the Algerian constitution, a wilaya is a territorial collectivity enjoying economic and diplomatic freedom, the APW, or ''Popular Provincial Parliament/Provincial Popular Parliament'' (the ''Assemblée Populaire Wilayale'', in French) is the political entity governing a province, directed by the Wali (administrative title), ''Wali'' (Governor), who is chosen by the Algerian President to handle the APW's decisions, the APW has also a president, who is elected by the members of the APW, which Algerians elect. List By 1984 the number of Algerian provinces was fixed at 48 and established the list of municipalities or "communes" attached to each province. In 2019, 10 new provinces were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Félicette
Félicette () was a stray Parisian cat that became the first feline launched into space on 18October 1963 as part of the French space program. She was one of 14 female cats trained for spaceflight. The cats had electrodes implanted into their skulls to monitor their neurological activity throughout the flight. During the flight, electrical impulses were applied to the brain and a leg to stimulate responses. The capsule was recovered 13 minutes after the rocket was ignited. Most of the data from the mission was of good quality, and Félicette survived the flight but was euthanised two months later for the examination of her brain. Félicette was designated C 341 before the flight, and after the flight, the media gave her the name Félix, after Félix the Cat. (CERMA) modified this to the feminine Félicette and adopted it as her official name. Postage stamps worldwide commemorated her, and a statue with her likeness is on display at the International Space University. Fra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Véronique (rocket)
Véronique was a French liquid-fuelled sounding rocket of the 1950s. It was the first liquid-fuel research rocket in Western Europe. Véronique was a French-led project that had its roots in the German V-2 rocket, and was partially developed by German scientists who had worked in Peenemünde. A successor to the cancelled Super V-2, Véronique was built between 1950 and 1969 in several versions, of which the P2, P6 and R were only experimental models. They were made in Vernon, Eure. The name Véronique is a portmanteau of ''Vernon-électronique'', and is also a common French first name. On 20 February 1959, the first Véronique launch was performed, although it was recorded as a failure. One day later, the second launch took place, which attained an altitude of . The last Veronique-61 was launched on 31 May 1974. The programme was eclipsed by new rockets, such as the wholly indigenous Diamant launcher. History Background In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, variou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
