The Iridium satellite constellation is a satellite constellation providing voice and data coverage to satellite phones, pagers and integrated transceivers over the Earth's entire surface. Iridium Communications owns and operates the constellation and sells equipment and access to its services. It was originally conceived by Bary Bertiger, Dr. Ray Leopold and Ken Peterson in late 1987 (and protected by patents by Motorola in their names in 1988) and then developed by Motorola on a fixed-price contract from July 29, 1993 to November 1, 1998 when the system became operational and commercially available.
Iridium is a chemical element.
Iridium may also refer to:
Iridium 7 was an U.S. Iridium communications satellite. It was launched into low Earth orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 14:55 GMT on 5 May 1997, by a Delta II 7920-10C carrier rocket. It was operated in Plane 4 of the Iridium satellite constellation, with an ascending node of 262.4°.
Albatross is a general purpose programming language which can be verified statically.
In golf, par is the pre-determined number of strokes that a scratch (or 0 handicap) golfer should require to complete a hole, a round (the sum of the pars of the played holes), or a tournament (the sum of the pars of each round). Pars are the central component of stroke play, the most common kind of play in professional golf tournaments. The term is also used in golf-like sports such as disc golf with the same meaning.
The length of each hole from the tee placement to the pin determines par values for each hole primarily but not exclusively. Almost invariably, holes are assigned par values between three and five strokes. For a casual player from the middle tees, a par-three hole will be 100–250 yards (90–230 m) from the tee to the pin. Par-four holes are 250–470 yards (230–430 m), although tournament players will often encounter par-four holes 500 yards (460 m) or more, as it is not uncommon for short par-five holes for normal play to be turned into par-four holes in championship play. Par-five holes are typically 470–600 yards (430–550 m), but in the modern game holes of over 600 yards are becoming more common in championship play. Other relevant factors in setting the par for the hole include the terrain and obstacles (such as trees, water hazards, hills, or buildings) that may require a golfer to take more (or fewer) shots. Some golf courses feature par-sixes and, very rarely, par-sevens, although the latter are not recognised by the United States Golf Association.
Albatross is a 2011 British coming-of-age comedy drama film directed by Niall MacCormick and written by Tamzin Rafn. It stars Sebastian Koch, Julia Ormond, Felicity Jones and Jessica Brown Findlay. The film's premise revolves around a teenage aspiring writer entering the lives of a dysfunctional family living in the south coast of England. "Albatross" is a metaphor used to describe a constant and inescapable burden.
The film was shot entirely on the Isle of Man with the support of the Island's government. It is MacCormick's feature film debut, having previously made his name in television. Also making her debut was screenwriter Tamzin Rafn. Rafn based the script on her own experiences as a rebellious teenager.
Albatross premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2011. It was released in the United Kingdom on 14 October 2011. While the film has gathered mixed reviews, Brown Findlay has received near-universal praise for her performance.
Emelia Conan Doyle (Jessica Brown Findlay), a rebellious teenage dropout who believes she is a descendant of Arthur Conan Doyle, takes a job as a cleaner in a seaside hotel owned by Jonathan Fischer (Sebastian Koch). Jonathan is a writer from Germany who has struggled with writer's block since his successful first novel, The Cliff House, was published 21 years before. He lives in the hotel with his wife Joa (Julia Ormond) and two daughters, Beth, 17, (Felicity Jones) and Posy, 6. Jonathan is constantly sequestered in the attic working on his writing, leaving the hotel to be run by Joa. Their marriage is stormy as Joa is unhappy about Jonathan's lack of success in his profession and his disconnected parenting. Meanwhile, Emelia has lived with her grandparents since her mother committed suicide.