Slashdot Mirror
Another Amateur Radio Satellite
k4hg writes "Remember the US Naval Academy satellite with the measuring tape antennas?
Well, not only is it still alive after nearly four years in orbit (be sure to read the 2001 Slashdot articles to see who was right and wrong about it working at all!), but the latest satellite to come out of the same lab, called PCSat2, was installed Wednesday on the International Space Station. It is bolted to the space station on the P6 truss, but is otherwise independent, only benefiting from the high mass to drag ratio of the ISS to prolong orbital life. The satellite is alive and transmitting on amateur radio frequencies, I could hear it on a marginal elevation in the Florida Keys. When it come in range of a ground station with better coverage, the data will be viewable here in real time. This new system is in addition to the amateur radio station already operational on the ISS.
And yes, they used tape measure antennas again, you could see them deploy on Nasa TV!"
I know replying to an AC is useless, but the assertion that extra mass means extra fuel isn't always true.
Many of the early small Amateur Satellites were launched for free as the ballast of larger commercial sats. Commercial launchers must add ballast to their payloads if the main payload's CG is not over its center. As long as the Amateur sat is space-rated and the right shape, size, and weight as the needed ballast, why not launch it instead of inert ballast that will just re-enter?
Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
I tried to explain, briefly, why I was happy it was all working, but it sounded so trivial in 25 words or less and the reaction was... three hours to cut up a bunch of pics?
Geeks like us appreciate not having to do the same thing multiple times, particularly if it's mindless work. You avoided mindless work by creating something which you can reuse later to continue avoiding mindless work. Sounds fine to me!