Ascension

When we first saw Ascension Island just before dawn, it looked like a scene from a Bond movie - there were red, green, white and yellow lights strewn across the breadth of it, the odd one flashing. It was not what I expected of a remote mid-Atlantic island. But when the sun rose it revealed another story. Yes, there are scores of satellite dishes, radomes and masts all over the place, but the landscape is spectacular and other-worldly. It was formed by a volcano a few million years ago (to be precise 😁) and there are about 40 cones visible on the island. A combination of lava, ash and clinker give it a moonscape feel. In fact there are whisperings that the moon landing was filmed there 😱. And since NASA had built a telecoms and tracking station for the Gemini, Apollo and Skylab missions, you just never know! But most importantly for all of you who use GPS, Ascension hosts one of the five ground antenna placed around the world that enable the system to operate. So, very important, nê?Read more