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Satellites To Try Formation Flying on ISS

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the fly-straight-fly-well dept.

SoySauc writes "From a story on the New Scientist site: 'A soccer-ball-sized satellite will soon be floating aboard the International Space Station. Once joined by two others, it will help researchers test formation flying and autonomous rendezvous and docking maneuvers for future orbiting satellites.' NASA's DART mission was designed to do the same thing, but in 2005 shut itself down and bumped into the satellite it was only meant to approach."

6 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. HAHAHA! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    NASA's DART mission was designed to do the same thing, but in 2005 shut itself down and bumped into the satellite it was only meant to approach.

    HAHAHA Euro-fa... oh, uh. Right. NASA.

  2. Other uses? by MichaelSmith · · Score: 5, Funny

    By the look of it you could also use it for lightsabre practice. Indoors, at least.

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  3. The Real Purpose... by Gerzel · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wonder what else you could do with formation flying satalites?

    Oooh put a bunch of high power leds or lasers on those suckers and you could use them as pixels. Pop-ups IN SPAAACE!

  4. SPHERES (Worst acronym ever) by ookabooka · · Score: 4, Interesting

    From the article:

    The first SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold Engage Re-Orient Experimental Satellites)
    Ok. Yes it's cool sometimes to think of a clever name for something that just happens to spell out a nifty word, but this is crazy. Is "Synchronized Position Hold Engage Re-Orient Experimental Satellites" really descriptive? Would you put that horrid name on a technical paper? Only GNU projects such as WINE (WINE is not an emulator) should use ridiculous acronyms.

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    1. Re:SPHERES (Worst acronym ever) by ookabooka · · Score: 4, Funny

      "Hey, how about we call them Synchronized Position Hold Engage Re-Orient Experimental Satellites?"

      "That's a great idea Johnson, it's descriptive, uses buzz words. I can't think of a better name. Sheer genius!"

      "Thank you sir, oh hey, that spells out SPHERES!!"

      "My God, you're right! What an amzing coincidence!!"

      I pray to God it didn't happen like that, hopefully they came up with the name first for PR reasons. . .

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  5. Re:Why CO2 instead of O2? by FooAtWFU · · Score: 4, Informative

    Probably because carbon dioxide compresses very well (which is why you see it in soft drinks and compressed C02 cartridges in the terrestrial world). Also, oxygen is dangerously flammable.

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