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Make Your Own Sputnik

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the because-you-can dept.

An anonymous reader writes "What better way of celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sputnik than by making one of your own. The BBC says that you can build your own Sputnik satellite from stuff lying around the house. The BBC quotes an electronics hobbyist: "Technology now is way ahead of what was available in 1957, and making your own fully functional Sputnik would now be very simple indeed. I wouldn't be surprised if you could build one in a container smaller than a matchbox, weighing about as much as a wristwatch. The components, including a transmitter, battery and the sensors you'd need would probably cost less than 50 pounds [about 100 US dollars]. It really shouldn't be a problem to build and program the whole thing in under a day." Unfortunately, the BBC article doesn't go into technical details." And of course, actually getting it up into orbit might take a little more work.

5 of 118 comments (clear)

  1. Didn't we find out... by Kjella · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...back in the last Sputnik story that the entire idea of a real science probe was pretty much scrapped due to time pressure, and that they launched pretty much only a radio transmitter? Building that primitive beacon wasn't the impressive thing at all, putting it into orbit was.

    --
    Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    1. Re:Didn't we find out... by aadvancedGIR · · Score: 5, Insightful

      A science probe? Didn't the only goal of that think was to say "See that blipping thing over your head? Next time, we could send a nuke anywhere on the planet"

  2. Because Sergei Korolev is no big deal nowdays. by Picass0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    (rolls eyes)

    Anybody with a public school education can outclass Werner Von Braun or Sergei Korolev with chewing gum and duct tape!

    Please.

  3. This is ridiculous by philmack · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The article is not remotely about building a sputnik, but it is about how technology in sputnik served similar purposes to things used in the home. Using a baby monitor as a transmitter? a domestic thermostat? a balloon? a mercury thermometer? "4x large batteries"? come on. This sounds like the losing science fair project of a seven year old.
    ~Phil

  4. Orbit by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "And of course, actually getting it up into orbit might take a little more work. "

    Actually, it is probably a crime in most jurisdictions.

    --
    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.