Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Amateur Mars Satellite

Posted by michael on from the wing-and-a-prayer dept.

Hobbyspacer writes "The German AMSAT-DL group recently announced formal approval of the Phase 5-A project to send a spacecraft to Mars in the 2007 or 2009 launch window. The spacecraft will use the same structure as AO-40 (formerly Phase 3-D) that was launched into earth orbit in the fall of 2000. Like AO-40 the Mars probe will piggyback on an Ariane 5 launch and use the same 400 N propulsion system. (I expect they will solve the problem that caused the engine misfiring that nearly destroyed the spacecraft.) The Phase 3-E project was also approved to follow up AO-40 and to test various techniques and technologies for the Mars mission. The document P5A-to-Mars!(712k pdf) describes the technical challenges and possible solutions for such an ambitious mission. AO-40 cost several million dollars and the Mars probe should cost considerably more, requiring they obtain funds outside of AMSAT members and the ham radio community. The long list, though, of spectacular contributions made by AMSAT to the development of micro sats and space communications gives the program high credibility."

10 of 107 comments (clear)

  1. First Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    First Post

  2. Germans by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    So it will be the Germans that start the war between Mars and Earth ... why am I not surprised?

  3. SNORE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    *scrape, scrape, scrape*

    Hear that? It's /. hitting the bottom of the barrel.

  4. pf by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    prist f0st

  5. Waing-and-a-prayer? Wang-and-a-prayer? What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Yes, yes. We know it was from the 'on-a-wing-and-prayer dept.'

    And yes we know someone really should put a spell checker in Slash.

  6. ok by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    When the bloody hell will we send people to Mars? And can someone change this posting delays, they're really fucking annoying.

    1. Re:ok by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      The posting delays from Mars are worse.

  7. im sick by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    of the open sores advocacy on this site.

  8. Re:A big leap? by Leift666 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    hehhee

    Funny to see that amateurs are so close to those geniuses at nasa...

    For when bag mama'ass to jupiter?

  9. Re:Amateur != neophyte by linzeal · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Criminal prisoners; hardly, you might want to step the accusation up to the prison industry's lobbying efforts. When minimium sentencing and 3 strike laws are written by paid proponents and merciless profiteers in a dying republic that revels in the lucrativeness of its own corruption.

    --
    An Education is the Font of All Liberty