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Indian Navy joins search for missing Malaysian plane in the Malacca Straits

Nuclear test experts to check if Malaysian plane exploded

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The head of the organisation that monitors the nuclear test ban treaty said on Monday that he has asked its experts to see if they detected an explosion at high altitude of the missing Malaysian Airlines plane.

Dr. Lassina Zerbo, executive director of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) told a news conference that the CTBTO uses “infrasound” or infrasonic sensors to monitor the earth mainly for atmospheric nuclear explosions.

There is no sign of the missing Boeing 777 carrying 239 people, which lost contact over the sea between Malaysia and Vietnam early on Saturday. Dr. Zerbo said he asked the head of the CTBTO’s International Data Center to look at the data “and get back to me.”

He said infrasound would be the best technology to check for an explosion on the missing plane if there was a monitoring station nearby, “or the explosion is at a level or at an amplitude that it could be detected.”

“There’s a possibility, it’s not absolute, that the technology like the Infrazone could be able to detect” an explosion, he said in response to a question.

Acoustic waves with very low frequencies that are inaudible to the human ear are called infrasound, according to the CTBTO’s website.

“Infrasound is produced by a variety of natural and man-made sources — exploding volcanoes, earthquakes, meteors, storms and auroras in the natural world; nuclear, mining and large chemical explosions, as well as aircraft and rocket launches in the man-made arena,” the CTBTO said.

One of four technologies used

Infrasound monitoring is one of the four technologies used by the International Monitoring System (IMS) to verify compliance with the nuclear test ban treaty. The CTBTO said the construction of infrasound monitoring stations “has contributed to a revival of scientific interest in this technology.”

There are seismic sensors for what’s occurring underground while hydrophones listen for underwater events. For the atmosphere, there are ultra-sensitive nuclide detectors which are designed to pick up the tiniest amount of nuclear radiation. And then there are infrasound detectors. In a dramatic demonstration of their global monitoring network’s ability to hear what humans can’t, the CTBTO has posted infrasound of the asteroid which exploded over Russia last year on the Internet. Not the sound of the meteor’s explosion, but of it tearing through the atmosphere before it became a fireball raining molten rock on the Ural Mountains.

The IMS infrasound network is the only global monitoring network of its kind and when it is fully operational it will consist of 60 stations “situated strategically in 35 countries around the world,” the CTBTO said. It did not list the countries and completed stations.

Nuclear test experts to check if Malaysian plane exploded | idrw.org
 
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Nuclear test experts to check if Malaysian plane exploded

images


The head of the organisation that monitors the nuclear test ban treaty said on Monday that he has asked its experts to see if they detected an explosion at high altitude of the missing Malaysian Airlines plane.

Dr. Lassina Zerbo, executive director of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) told a news conference that the CTBTO uses “infrasound” or infrasonic sensors to monitor the earth mainly for atmospheric nuclear explosions.

There is no sign of the missing Boeing 777 carrying 239 people, which lost contact over the sea between Malaysia and Vietnam early on Saturday. Dr. Zerbo said he asked the head of the CTBTO’s International Data Center to look at the data “and get back to me.”

He said infrasound would be the best technology to check for an explosion on the missing plane if there was a monitoring station nearby, “or the explosion is at a level or at an amplitude that it could be detected.”

“There’s a possibility, it’s not absolute, that the technology like the Infrazone could be able to detect” an explosion, he said in response to a question.

Acoustic waves with very low frequencies that are inaudible to the human ear are called infrasound, according to the CTBTO’s website.

“Infrasound is produced by a variety of natural and man-made sources — exploding volcanoes, earthquakes, meteors, storms and auroras in the natural world; nuclear, mining and large chemical explosions, as well as aircraft and rocket launches in the man-made arena,” the CTBTO said.

One of four technologies used

Infrasound monitoring is one of the four technologies used by the International Monitoring System (IMS) to verify compliance with the nuclear test ban treaty. The CTBTO said the construction of infrasound monitoring stations “has contributed to a revival of scientific interest in this technology.”

There are seismic sensors for what’s occurring underground while hydrophones listen for underwater events. For the atmosphere, there are ultra-sensitive nuclide detectors which are designed to pick up the tiniest amount of nuclear radiation. And then there are infrasound detectors. In a dramatic demonstration of their global monitoring network’s ability to hear what humans can’t, the CTBTO has posted infrasound of the asteroid which exploded over Russia last year on the Internet. Not the sound of the meteor’s explosion, but of it tearing through the atmosphere before it became a fireball raining molten rock on the Ural Mountains.

The IMS infrasound network is the only global monitoring network of its kind and when it is fully operational it will consist of 60 stations “situated strategically in 35 countries around the world,” the CTBTO said. It did not list the countries and completed stations.

Nuclear test experts to check if Malaysian plane exploded | idrw.org


this is basically meant for atmospheric nuclear tests ...
it looks for the blast waves generated ..


frankly speaking it is unlikely to be of any great help ....

IMS Infrasound Network
 
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As of now, the only available SAR capable satellites are RISAT-1& 2. This is not in geostationary orbit. This would mean, correct me if I am mistaken, not available 24/7 over a point. They need to be re-oriented and re-focused.
 
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How appropriate that India joins in the search.

On Tuesday, three days after the plane disappeared while on an overnight flight to Beijing, the country’s air force chief, Gen. Rodzali Daud, was quoted in a Malaysian newspaper as saying the military received signals on Saturday that after the aircraft stopped communicating with ground controllers, it turned from heading northeast to heading west, lowered its altitude and flew hundreds of miles across Peninsular Malaysia and out over the Strait of Malacca before the tracking went blank.

Mr. Robertsson said that since the plane had been fully fueled for a trip to Beijing, it could have traveled a great distance beyond its last reported position. “The aircraft could have continued another five or six hours out into the ocean,” he said. “It could have gone to India.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/world/asia/malaysia-jet.html?action=click&contentCollection=Asia Pacific&region=Footer&module=MoreInSection&pgtype=article

My only contention, to that point, is its very close to A&N command of the IN. This is a highly militarised zone. The military radars would have picked them up.
 
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My only contention, to that point, is its very close to A&N command of the IN. This is a highly militarised zone. The military radars would have picked them up.

Even if military radars had picked up something...we would not know.

But I think it's unlikely that plane managed to cross Malacca straits ...

If it crashed ...which is the most plausible possibility ..it will be in Malacca straits
 
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As of now, the only available SAR capable satellites are RISAT-1& 2. This is not in geostationary orbit. This would mean, correct me if I am mistaken, not available 24/7 over a point. They need to be re-oriented and re-focused.

Indeed . it can't have 24/7 focus .
But it has spot light mode ....with 1 meter resolution.

It can revisit same spot 14 times in 24 hours ....
 
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Indeed . it can't have 24/7 focus .
But it has spot light mode ....with 1 meter resolution.

It can revisit same spot 14 times in 24 hours ....

Its much better :) trust me on this. Much much better.
 
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Its much better :) trust me on this. Much much better.

well that's the 'stated' resolution ...although many other ISRO optical sensing satellites have 'stated' resolution of 0.8 meter.

I guess actual resolution power may not be revealed given its role as reconnaissance satellite ...
 
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well that's the 'stated' resolution ...although many other ISRO optical sensing satellites have 'stated' resolution of 0.8 meter.

I guess actual resolution power may not be revealed given its role as reconnaissance satellite ...

If you get a chance, talk to chaps from the ARC. Good fun with lots of good insights. Though they are primarily concerned with aviation assets and not sats.
 
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Why not think b4 putting up such ridiculous comparisons.a helo in forest vs a jumbo jet in ocean.A crashed jet will have so much floating debris that will spread over a much larger area and with sensitive satelite u can see and locate the area.Gawd this is wat u call contributing usefully.giv me a brk man.lol

Fair enough, yes it is much more difficult to find a crashed helo in a forest, but the our response was not good either, and there is absolutely no reason for you to turn this thread into a di** measuring troll zone.
 
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Didn't know that Aviation research Centre was under RAW ....!!!

No Sign of missing plane : search spreads upto Andaman sea


KUALA LUMPUR: The search for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner expanded on Wednesday to cover an area stretching from China to the Andaman Sea, with authorities no closer to explaining what happened to the plane or the 239 people on board.

Vietnam briefly scaled down search operations in waters off its southern coast, saying it was receiving scanty and confusing information from Malaysia over where the aircraft may have headed after it lost contact with air traffic control.

Hanoi later said the search — now in its fifth day — was back on in full force and was even extending on to land. China also said its air force would sweep land areas, although it did not specify where.

"We are expanding to the east of the expected route of the flight and on land," Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan, Vietnam's deputy army chief of staff and spokesman for its search and rescue committee, told reporters.

The confusion over where to look is adding to one of the most baffling mysteries in modern aviation mystery, and prolonging the agonising wait for hundreds of relatives of the missing.

Flight MH370 dropped out of sight an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing early on Saturday, under clear night skies and with no suspicion of any mechanical problems.

Dozens of planes and ships have already searched tens of thousands of square miles of Malaysia and off both its coasts without finding a trace of the Boeing 777.

Adding to the frustration and uncertainty, Malaysia's military has said the plane could have turned around from its planned flight path, but there were conflicting statements and reports about how far and in which direction it could have flown after communication with the aircraft was lost.

Off course?

Malaysia's air force chief, Rodzali Daud, denied saying military radar had tracked MH370 flying over the Strait of Malacca off the country's west coast, about 500 km (310 miles) from where it was last seen by air traffic control, about midway between the east coast town of Kota Bharu and Vietnam.

Malaysia's Berita Harian newspaper on Tuesday quoted Rodzali as saying the plane was last detected at the northern end of the Strait of Malacca at 2.40am on Saturday, more than an hour after it lost contact.

"It would not be appropriate for the Royal Malaysian Air Force to issue any official conclusions as to the aircraft's flight path until a high amount of certainty and verification is achieved," Rodzali said in a statement on Wednesday.

"However all ongoing search operations are at the moment being conducted to cover all possible areas where the aircraft could have gone down in order to ensure no possibility is overlooked."

Indonesia and Thailand, which lie on either side of the northern part of the Malacca Strait, have said their militaries detected no sign of any unusual aircraft in their airspace.

READ ALSO: Malaysia air force chief denies saying lost plane tracked to west

The massive search operation involving ships and aircraft from 10 countries is spread out over the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, which lie between Malaysia and Vietnam, and in the Strait of Malacca into the Andaman Sea.

China's civil aviation chief said its air force would add two planes to the search effort, which would be broadened to include land areas. He did not elaborate.

The Indian Express said India, which controls the Andaman and Nicobar island chains and has a strong naval presence in the Andaman Sea, had been asked to help, but a defence ministry source said there had been no formal request from Malaysia.

"They have to tell us the area where our people have to go, only then they move to that area," the source said. "It has to be clear, the clarity is not there at the moment."

One of several theories

A senior military officer who had been briefed on the investigation told Reuters on Tuesday that the aircraft had made a detour to the west after communications with civilian authorities ended.

"It changed course after Kota Bharu and took a lower altitude. It made it into the Malacca Strait," the officer said.

After the comments from the officer, a non—military source familiar with the investigations said the reported detour was one of several theories and was being checked.

If the plane had made such a detour it would undermine the theory that it suffered a sudden, catastrophic mechanical failure, as it would mean it flew at least 500 km (350 miles) after its last contact with air traffic control.

In the absence of any concrete evidence to explain the plane's disappearance, authorities have not ruled out anything. Police have said they were investigating whether any passengers or crew on the plane had personal or psychological problems that might shed light on the mystery, along with the possibility of a hijacking, sabotage or mechanical failure.

The airline said it was taking seriously a report by a South African woman who said the co—pilot of the missing plane had invited her and a female travelling companion to sit in the cockpit during a flight two years ago, in an apparent breach of security.

"Malaysia Airlines has become aware of the allegations being made against First Officer Fariq Ab Hamid which we take very seriously. We are shocked by these allegations. We have not been able to confirm the validity of the pictures and videos of the alleged incident," the airline said in a statement.

The woman, Jonti Roos, said in an interview with Australia's Channel Nine TV that she and her friend were invited to fly in the cockpit by Fariq and the pilot between Phuket, Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur in December 2011. The TV channel showed pictures of the four apparently in a plane's cockpit.

The Boeing 777 has one of the best safety records of any commercial aircraft in service. Its only previous fatal crash came on July 6 last year when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 struck a seawall on landing in San Francisco, killing three people.

US planemaker Boeing has declined to comment beyond a brief statement saying it was monitoring the situation
 
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India ready to deploy P-8I and Tu-142 aircraft to search for Malaysian missing jet

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“We have kept our aircraft on standby and as soon as we get a go ahead, we are ready to take off for search operations,” an IAF spokesperson was quoted by an agency.

The search area for the IAF is likely to be the Malacca Straits near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The IAF has its Dornier aircraft along with the Mi-17 helicopters deployed in the Island territory and if the need be, the Navy can deploy the P-8I and the Tu-142 maritime surveillance aircraft.

India has a tri-services military command at Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Navy and air force carry out regular patrols in the area.

Malaysia searches in Andaman Sea

As the massive 12-nation exercise involving 42 ships and 39 aircraft entered the fifth day, Malaysian civil aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said its planes were now also searching in the southern part of the Andaman Sea.

Rahman confirmed that defence radar picked up an “indication” that the plane may have turned back from its intended flight path over the South China Sea. He said this was why the search operation had been extended to the Andaman Sea.

US Federal Aviation Authority and US National Transport Safety Board have been roped in to help track the missing aircraft.

The Beijing-bound Boeing 777-200 plane was carrying 227 passengers, including five Indians and one Indian-origin Canadian, and 12 crew members when it mysteriously vanished from radar screens an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, triggering speculation that it may have been hijacked, crashed into sea or disintegrated mid-air.

“We will not spare any effort to find the missing plane. The search has been extended to two areas and we are now searching nearly 27,000 square nautical miles – 12,425 square nautical miles in the Straits of Malacca and 14,440 square nautical miles in the South China Sea,” Malaysia’s Minister of Defence and acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters at a crowded press conference.

“Forty two ships and 39 aircraft have now been deployed in the search for MH370. Twelve countries have now joined the search, with India, Japan and Brunei being the latest to join the team,” he said.

Confusing Information

Malaysia has been criticised for giving conflicting and confusing information on the last known location of aircraft.

Earlier on Wednesday, air force chief Rodzali had denied saying military radar had tracked MH370 flying over the Strait of Malacca.

Vietnam briefly scaled down search operations in waters off its southern coast, saying it was receiving scanty and confusing information from Malaysia over where the aircraft may have headed after it lost contact with air traffic control.

Hanoi later said the search – now in its fifth day – was back on in full force and was even extending on to land. China also said its air force would sweep areas in the sea, clarifying however that no searches over land were planned.

“As long as the plane is not found, we would continue doing our mission,” Vo Van Tuan, spokesman for Vietnam Search and Rescue Committee, told reporters in Hanoi.

“We should always keep up hope, there can be miracles, humans can survive for a long time in difficult conditions. We must not give up hope that the missing people are still alive.”

India ready to deploy P-8I and Tu-142 aircraft to search for Malaysian missing jet | idrw.org
 
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Indian Navy & Indian Coast Guard join search effort 'OPERATION SEARCHLIGHT' for Flight MH370. Assets deployed:

- 1 Boeing P-8I ex Arakkonam
- 1 Indian Navy Do-228 ex Port Blair
- 1 Indian Coast Guard Do-228 ex Port Blair
- Amphibious ship INS Kumbhir ex Campbell Bay
- OPV INS Saryu ex Port Blair
- FPV ICGS Kanak Lata Barua ex Port Blair

Source - Livefist
 
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