Iran says it sets up space monitoring center
Source: AP
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran said Sunday that it set up its first space tracking center to monitor objects passing in orbit overhead.
Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said the center was for Iran's space-related security but that Tehran would also share the acquired data with other countries, the official IRNA news agency reported. The report said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was present at the inauguration of the center located near the town of Delijan, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Tehran.
Iran frequently announces technological breakthroughs that cannot be independently verified. It has long pursued space ambitions aimed at putting its own satellite into orbit as well as a manned space flight.
"The base is aimed at securing the country's space facilities and monitoring space objects especially satellites that pass overhead," Vahidi was quoted as saying.
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Their "Potemkin" fighter plane is a peach--it's got a joystick from an F-4 in it, and the cockpit is too small for a full sized man.
The only space they're monitoring is the space between their ears.
