Shuttle to launch with UND AgCam today The blast-off party that University of North Dakota students and professors have been waiting for since 2001 is ready to start, good weather willing. A sophisticated camera system known as AgCam is set to be launched into space aboard the shuttle Endeavor, which is scheduled to take off from Florida at 6:55 p.m. Central time on Friday. The camera is to be mounted on the International Space Station. The camera is specially designed to transmit detailed pictures and information about the Earth. Its initial focus will be images of cropland to help farmers and ranchers manage land in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming....I'm sure this "spy in the sky" will always be used for friendly and productive purposes. And, one has to wonder how these poor, ignorant ag producers have survived all these years without a single satellite photo of their land. This also raises an interesting question: Can the government take a photo of your land without your permission? Do you own the land and thus images of it? Is there a trespass issue here?...I probably shouldn't think out loud like that.