[thanks to UC#1 for today’s topic]
Another space-faring nation finally has a ground station.
https://www.iybssd2022.org/en/burkina-faso-reaches-a-milestone-in-the-conquest-of-space/Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) might have done better with a bit lower volta. I expect their space exploration development programs were hindered by the lack of regulated voltas. I don’t think these stamps represent actual activities by this small nation. But, 50 years later, they now have a 2 element beam antenna capable of receiving transmissions on the 10M band from an earth observation satellite.
UC#1
Republic of Upper Volta
Republic of Upper Volta
The Republic of Upper Volta (French: République de Haute-Volta) was a landlocked West African country established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing state within the French Community. Before becoming autonomous, it had been part of the French Union as the French Upper Volta. On 5 August 1960, it gained full independence from France. On 4 August 1984, it changed its name to Burkina Faso. – Wikipedia
Burkina Faso
It is interesting to compare the lyrics of the two countries’ National Anthems.
| National Anthem of Upper Volta – “Hymne National Voltaïque” | National Anthem of Burkina Faso – “Une Seule Nuit” |
| Proud Volta of my ancestors, Your ardent and glorious sun Takes you with gold and pride O Queen draped with loyalty! We will make you stronger and more beautiful To your love we will remain faithful And our hearts vibrant with pride Will acclaim your beauty Towards the horizon look up Frisks with the tumultuous accents Of your proud children all trained Caressed promises of future The work of your burning ground Endless will soak the ardent hearts, And the virtues of your children The girdle of a triumphant diadem. May God keep you in his goodness, May the happiness of your beloved soil, The love of the brethren be the key, Honor, Unity and Freedom. |
I Against the humiliating bondage of a thousand years Rapacity came from afar to subjugate them for a hundred years. Against the cynical malice in the shape Of neo-colonialism and its petty local servants. Many gave in and certain others resisted. But the frustrations, the successes, the sweat, the blood Have fortified our courageous people And fertilised its heroic struggle. Chorus: And one single night has drawn together The history of an entire people, And one single night has launched its triumphal march. Towards the horizon of good fortune. One single night has brought together our people With all the peoples of the World, In the acquisition of liberty and progress. Motherland or death, we shall conquer! II Nourished in the lively source of the Revolution, The volunteers for liberty and peace With their nocturnal and beneficial energies of the 4th of August Had not only hand arms, but also and above all The flame in their hearts lawfully to free Faso forever from the fetters of those who Here and there were polluting the sacred soul of Independence and sovereignty. III And seated henceforth in rediscovered dignity, Love and honour partnered with humanity, The people of Burkina sing a victory hymn To the glory of the work of liberation and emancipation. Down with exploitation of man by man! Forward for the good of every man By all men of today and tomorrow, By every man here and always! IV Popular revolution our nourishing sap. Undying motherhood of progress in the face of man. Eternal hearth of agreed democracy, Where at last national identity has the right of freedom. Where injustice has lost its place forever, And where from the hands of builders of a glorious world Everywhere the harvests of patriotic vows ripen, Suns of boundless joy shine. |
Burkina Faso faces many challenges: economic, infrastructure, health, food security, human rights….
The 2018 CIA World Factbook provides this updated summary. “Burkina Faso is a poor, landlocked country that depends on adequate rainfall. Irregular patterns of rainfall, poor soil, and the lack of adequate communications and other infrastructure contribute to the economy’s vulnerability to external shocks. About 80% of the population is engaged in subsistence farming and cotton is the main cash crop. The country has few natural resources and a weak industrial base. Cotton and gold are Burkina Faso’s key exports.”
Wikipedia
But it is a country of hope and determination.
Electricity
A 33-megawatt solar power plant in Zagtouli, near Ouagadougou, came online in late November 2017. At the time of its construction, it was the largest solar power facility in West Africa.
The Zagtouli Solar Power Station was commissioned by His Excellency, Mr. Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, the President of Burkina Faso and His Excellency Mr. Emmanuel Macron, the President of the Republic of France during an official visit to Burkina Faso.With a total capacity of 33 MW, the Zagtouli solar power plant built in the western suburbs of Ouagadougou on an area of 60 hectares is the largest in West Africa.
ecowapp.org
Semi-Sequitur: Panda Green Energy Opened a 50-Megawatt, Solar Power Plant in Datong, China
Burkina Faso‘s First Satellite
The reception of a satellite ground receiving station prefigures the mastery of space techniques for Earth observation.
– iybssd2022.org
The project of the first satellite “made in Burkina” called Burkina Sat-1, is further concretized with the reception on 27th August 2020 of the ground station of this device.
Resilience to Climate Change
Indeed, SciDev.Net learned from the design team that Burkina Sat-1 will be responsible for rainfall forecasting, building capacity for resilience to climate change and detecting available water resources. It will also enable agro-pastoralists who are transhumant[1] to locate biomass and water wells.
This scientific observation satellite, for civilian use, will also eventually make it possible to measure plant cover, detect underground water resources, help combat the advance of the desert, and prevent diseases such as meningitis and other respiratory ailments.
iybssd2022.org
[1] WLBOTT Word of the Day: Transhumance
