January 21, 2009
1 min read
Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAmAbove It All: A Satellite's-Eye View of Pres. Obama's Inauguration [Slide Show]
GeoEye 1 puts an historic event in perspective
By Larry Greenemeier
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As an estimated 1.5 to two million people amassed on the National Mall yesterday to witness Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th U.S. president, a high-resolution, Earth-orbiting satellite captured the action from 423 miles (681 kilometers) above Washington, D.C. The GeoEye 1 satellite revealed this sea of humanity while hurtling through space along the U.S. eastern seaboard at around 17,000 miles (27,350 kilometers) per hour, or about four miles (6.4 kilometers) per second.
Built by and named for the Dulles, Va., satellite-imaging company, GeoEye, the 4,300-pound (1,950-kilogram) eye in the sky has been keeping tabs on the U.S. capital and numerous other terrestrial locations since its launch last year on September 6.
Slide Show: GeoEye 1 Looks Down on the Inauguration
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