SOLIDARITY IN SPACE.Many Mexicans had no idea how tied they were to space until the Solidaridad I satellite blacked out twice in one week, leaving wireless communications wireless communications System using radio-frequency, infrared, microwave, or other types of electromagnetic or acoustic waves in place of wires, cables, or fibre optics to transmit signals or data. , banks and TV stations in the dark. Technicians from Satelites Mexicanos took 13 hours to regain service on April 28th and seven hours to get the satellite back up after the second outage out·age n. 1. A quantity or portion of something lacking after delivery or storage. 2. A temporary suspension of operation, especially of electric power. on May 1st. They blamed a short circuit for the glitches. Over 150 companies were affected, along with 650,000 pager-toting individuals. Satmex operates three birds, as satellites are known in the space industry, and is partly owned by Loral Space and Communications. The company bought Solidaridad I from the government in 1997. Among the affected: PAGERS: More than 650,000 customers lost service. BANKS: Banamex, Bancomer and Serfin, among others, lost the ability to transfer funds to other banks and communicate with branch offices. ATM MACHINES (Automatic Teller Machine machine) A banking terminal that accepts deposits and dispenses cash. ATMs are activated by inserting a cash or credit card that contains the user's account number and PIN on a magnetic stripe. : Dozens went offline in Mexico City Mexico City Spanish Ciudad de México City (pop., 2000: city, 8,605,239; 2003 metro. area est., 18,660,000), capital of Mexico. Located at an elevation of 7,350 ft (2,240 m), it is officially coterminous with the Federal District, which occupies 571 sq mi . TV AND RADIO: Stations blanked out until signals could be rerouted along the ground. GPS: SO transport companies lost global positioning systems Global Positioning System: see navigation satellite. Global Positioning System (GPS) Precise satellite-based navigation and location system originally developed for U.S. military use. that track trucks on the road. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion