NASA Goes Bargain Basement With New Satellite

coondoggie writes to tell us that NASA has announced a new low-cost satellite that could be ideal for those who wish to get into space quickly and (relatively) inexpensively. "The Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology SATellite (FASTSAT) is 39.5 inches in diameter — not much larger than an exercise ball. It is hexagonally shaped and clocks in at a little less than 200 Lbs. It can carry a payload up to 110 Lbs. [...] NASA said FASTSAT is just the right size for earth observing missions, space science missions, and technology demonstrations. 'We think we can do whole missions for less than $10 million instead of the traditional $100s of millions, and that includes the launch vehicle, the satellite, and the widget you want to test,' said Marshall Space Flight Center's Edward 'Sandy' Montgomery in a release."

Comments

Nearly GNU naming

[niceone]

FASTSAT Affordable, Science and Technology SATellite (FASTSAT)

There, fixed it.

Re:The new unit of measurement

[UbuntuDupe]

That didn't bother me as much as saying that it "clocks in" at 200 pounds. I know, I know, it's just a metaphor, but I really don't like the idea of measuring weight with a clock, given NASA's past unit conversion problems...