RSID: <<2025-07-31T23:31Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>

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Welcome to program 411 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

  1:40 MFSK32: Program preview (now)
  2:52 MFSK32: World's smallest snake makes big comeback
  8:43 MFSK64: US, India satellite to track Earth's surface
11:58 MFSK64: This week's images
28:15 MFSK32: Closing announcements


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From AFP via Phys.org:

World's smallest snake makes big comeback
July 27, 2025

A snake so small it could be mistaken for a worm has been spotted
in Barbados, nearly two decades after it was thought to have been
"lost" to science.

The Barbados threadsnake (Tetracheilostoma carlae) was found
hiding under a rock in central Barbados during an ecological
survey in March by the Barbados Ministry of the Environment and
National Beautification and conservation group Re:wild.

"Barbados threadsnakes are blind snakes, so they're very
cryptic," said Connor Blades, a project officer with the Ministry
of Environment in Barbados who helped make the finding, in a
statement.

"They're quite rare also, it seems. There have only been a
handful of confirmed sightings since 1889, so there are not many
people who have ever seen it, unfortunately."

Measuring just three to four inches long (eight to 10
centimeters) when fully grown—tiny enough to almost fit on a US
quarter coin—the Barbados threadsnake is the world's smallest
species of snake.

It is distinguished by orange stripes along its back, eyes on the
sides of its head and a small scale on its snout.

"When you are so accustomed to looking for things and you don't
see them, you are shocked when you actually find it," said Justin
Springer of Re:wild, who made the discovery alongside Blades.
The rare species is tiny enough to almost fit on a US quarter
coin.

"You can't believe it. That's how I felt. You don't want to get
your hopes up too high."

The breakthrough came after more than a year of searching, as the
pair upturned rocks trapped beneath a tree root.

The tiny snake, which was found alongside an earthworm, was taken
to the University of West Indies for careful examination under a
microscope—it closely resembles the Brahminy blind snake, an
invasive species, so the finding had to be validated—before it
was returned to the forest.

Only 2% of the Caribbean island's primary forest remains intact,
with the rest cleared for agriculture since the start of the
colonial era 400 years ago.

The Barbados threadsnake remains particularly vulnerable since it
reproduces sexually and females lay a clutch of only one egg.
Female Brahminy blind snakes, by contrast, can produce fertile
eggs without mating.

"The threadsnake's rediscovery is also a call to all of us as
Barbadians that forests in Barbados are very special and need
protection," said Springer. "Not just for the threadsnake, but
for other species as well. For plants, animals and our heritage."

https://phys.org/news/2025-07-world-smallest-snake-big-comeback.html
 

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Shortwave Radiogram now changes to MFSK64 ...


RSID: <<2025-07-31T23:38Z MFSK-64 @ 9265000+1500>>.
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This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net
 

From Deutsche Welle:

US, India launch satellite to track Earth's surface

Amy Stockdale with AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa
July 30,2025

The "first of its kind" satellite will map the Earth's surface in
incredible detail. Mission officials say it will help us better
understand areas at risk of earthquakes.

The US space administration NASA and the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) together launched an Earth-mapping satellite
Wednesday. The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)
satellite is designed to track even the tiniest of changes in the
Earth's surface.

The goal of the $1.3 billion (€1.14 billion) mission is to help
understand what leads to both manmade and natural disasters, such
as floods, landslides and volcanic eruptions.

NISAR launched at 12:10 GMT from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
on the southeastern coast of India.

"Congratulations India!" India's minister of science and
technology, Jitendra Singh, posted on X once the satellite safely
reached orbit.

What is NISAR's mission?

Now in orbit around Earth's poles, NISAR has got a busy 3 years
ahead of itself. While 747 kilometers (464 miles) high, observing
melting glaciers and polar ice sheets are among the satellite's
research goals. NISAR will measure the Earth's surface twice
every 12 days, observing shifts as small as 1 centimeter (0.4
inches).

The satellite won't be able to predict the next earthquake but
"it will help us better understand which areas of the world are
most susceptible to significant earthquakes," the mission's
geoscience lead, Mark Simons, said in a statement on NASA's
website.

"We'll see land substance and swelling, movement, deformation and
melting of mountain glaciers and ice sheets covering both
Greenland and Antarctica, and, of course, we'll see wildfires,"
added Karen St Germain, director of NASA's Earth Science
division.

She called NISAR "the most sophisticated radar we've ever built."

How does the 'first of its kind' satellite work?

NISAR is the world's first radar imaging satellite to use two
radar frequencies. The so-called L-band radar is provided by
NASA, and the S-band radar was developed by ISRO. These radars
operate around the clock to capture Earth in extreme detail and
can reportedly capture measurements regardless of weather
conditions.

The two radars will beam signals down to Earth. When these
signals bounce back, the satellite will receive them via its huge
antenna reflector. Scientists will then compare the incoming and
outgoing signals as the satellite passes over the same location.

"The potential applications from the satellite are huge, and the
global scientific community is eagerly awaiting the satellite
data," ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said after the launch.

"It is not going to be used by one or two countries. The entire
globe is going to benefit from this great accomplishment," he
said.

NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails said the
satellite "really shows the world what our two nations can do."

The launch marks the biggest space collaboration between the
United States and India. NASA contributed $1.2 billion for the
low-frequency radar and reflector, while ISRO contributed $91
million for the higher-frequency radar and main satellite
structure.

India's space program has seen a boost in recent years. In 2014,
it placed a probe in Mars orbit and, in 2023, it landed a rover
on the Moon.

Shubhanshu Shukla recently became the first Indian to reach the
International Space Station.

https://www.dw.com/en/us-india-launch-first-of-its-kind-satellite-to-track-earths-surface/a-73473854

See also:
https://phys.org/news/2025-07-nasa-isro-satellite-track-earth.html
https://phys.org/news/2025-07-radar-satellite-india-nasa-track.html
https://phys.org/news/2025-07-india-powerful-earth-satellite.html
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This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net

 

This week's images ...
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Sunset at Cayo Costa State Park, Florida. tinyurl.com/2bos5xob
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Tower Bridge is lit up to congratulate the England women’s
football team winning the Uefa women’s Euro 2025.
tinyurl.com/27ayd4dn ...

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Nocturnal butterflies at Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz,
California. tinyurl.com/25f5j8c7 ...

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A raindrop plops in a body of water in Scotland.
tinyurl.com/2aqwelu2 ...

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Wild berries at Artpark State Park near Buffalo, Newv York.
tinyurl.com/2xz5cbaf ...

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A Black Oystercatcher at Crystal Cove State Park, California.
tinyurl.com/2auutbpx ...

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The UK's Red Arrow aerobatic team at Aberdeen Tall Ships 2025 in
Scotland. tinyurl.com/2aqwelu2 ...

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The neon signs of the San Jose Improv comedy club in San Jose,
California. tinyurl.com/2cphz9vn ...
 

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Our painting of the week is "Street, 1930" by Gösta
Adrian-Nilsson ("GAN"), Swedish, 1884-1965. tinyurl.com/27extbkm
...

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Shortwave Radiogram returns to MFSK32 ...


RSID: <<2025-07-31T23:58Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>
 

This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK32 ...


Transmission of Shortwave Radiogram is provided by:

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and

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Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net

And visit http://swradiogram.net

http://swradiogram.bsky.social

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I'm Kim Elliott. Please join us for the next Shortwave
Radiogram.
 

RSID: <<2025-08-01T11:30Z MFSK-64 @ 15770000+1500>>


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Doris Coley of the Shirelles was born on August 2, 1941.
She died in 2000.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Coley

Please report your decode to themightykbc@gmail.com.