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Build Your Own Linux-Based Satellite

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the what-a-deal dept.

An anonymous reader writes "For $10 million, SpaceDev is offering a Linux-based microsatellite that can be controlled over the internet using any laptop or desktop computer. The Modular Microsat Bus utilizes such things as plug and play USB, Ethernet, and other standards, while providing critical features such as power, maneuvering, and communication for you. Up to 40 kg of project space are at your disposal"

6 of 184 comments (clear)

  1. Re:$10 million and 40kg? Why not $250k and 1kg? by networkBoy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think that the picosats are cool, but there is not a ton that you can do in such a small package. A small transponder, some radiation experiments, no reasonable optics will fit in that tight a package, and even if they did you would need to accomodate stabilizing gear.
    That said, they are great for universities, where the resulting knowledge gained is the goal and the useful science is almost gravy.

    As to the /.ing, I think the sat would have no problem, due to the rather low speed of the anticipated link (no dish, just a whip antenna, so BW will bw lower). Whether the page will be viewable with a million geeks trying to share a 10kbps link, I dunno.
    -nB

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    whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
  2. A neat idea... by phorm · · Score: 2, Interesting

    But what would/could you do with it? I'd be very reluctant to upgrade the kernel or any such thing that would likely be required to install modules/drivers required to do something neat. Nothing would quite suck like having a 'kernel panic' on a $10,000,000 sitting up in orbit... not as if you can press reset to restart it.

    1. Re:A neat idea... by Maximum+Prophet · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Satellites and other space hardware tends to have watchdog reset timers that will auto-reboot to a monitor ROM. That way if anything goes wrong during kernel upgrade, it'll reboot to a known good state.

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      All ideas^H^H^H^H^Hprocesses in this post are Patent Pending. (as well as the process of patenting all postings)
  3. Open Source public Sat?! by DigiShaman · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Ok guys and gals, is there anything we can do at Slashdot to pool togeather some money and have one built? I'm willing to donate up to $100. I would love to see everyone donate money to have a Slashdot Sat put into space along with the names of those who contribute. Also, I would love to have access to the Sat for shits and grins.

    What can it be used for? does it matter? The fact I can access a Sat that can later be upgraded with software totally turns me on!

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    Life is not for the lazy.
  4. What about legal? by Terrasque · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What laws will this satelite be bound to?

    Lets for example say someone put up a webserver and put some seriously illegal stuff on it (childporn? nasty comments about george bush?).. Who gets to shoot it down?

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    It's The Golden Rule: "He who has the gold makes the rules."
  5. BPS by Hina+Matsuri · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I know a lot of people here *hate* anime and anyone who likes it, but...

    Has anyone seen Battle Programmer Shirase? There was an episode where this super retardedly awesome programmer (Shirase, the main character) hacks three neglected satellites and crashes them in a line to target a boat. The first in line acted as a primary heat shield for the second two and evaporated pretty quick, the second did the same for the last, and the last plowed right into the boat in a big explosion.