Slashdot Mirror
Launch Your Own Nanosatellite Into Space
First time accepted submitter Rozine writes "Ever wanted to launch your own satellite into space? Thanks to a project at the Cornell Space Science Lab, now you can. In the words of the grad student leading the project, Zac Manchester, 'What better way of showing off your uber-geek credentials than having your own spacecraft?' Zac hopes that by shrinking the size of each spacecraft and using advancements in computer and solar cell technology, satellites can follow the path of the personal computer revolution, opening up space for the masses. For small donations you will receive mementos, but for $300 and up you will get your very own satellite to be launched into space. Perfect for slashdotters and school projects everywhere!" We covered this project in its infancy back in July. I'm glad to see it gained traction.
Even more "space junk".
Aren't we trying to reduce the amount of space junk?
I thought space junk was already a problem.
My sattelite is a crate full of explosively dispersed pinballs, will it cost only $300 to launch it?
how much to launch a satellite containing a tungsten rod in geosync orbit over the location of my choice?
I'd like to send a vial of my swimmers up there. Is there a size limit? I pull out some three-ropers that put Peter North to shame.
Are you listening? This is your satellite idea come to fruition.
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
This junk it'll be sending up is damn near useless. They want to see how well the electronics hold up in space... for a few days before re-entry, with no ability to query them, and just a very short message sent (on repeat?) via radio?
IMO, I'd rather rent a timeslice on something even a tad more advanced. Long term goal is more interesting, and I realize the first launch is mostly proof-of-concept, but that's an expensive proof for something that can obviously be done. I'd be nice if the larger donations got better kicksat boards at least.
It wouldn't surprise me if there are other projects out there he could team up with that would love to do some swarm robotics up there that wouldn't cost a whole lot more for the individual parts, but could at least make use of there being 100-1000 of them in near proximity in space.
Further off on a tangent.... I was kinda hoping to see a cheaper launch vehicle for microsats. Maybe a combo of weather balloon and rocket that goes off once it hits near-max-height?
Are they saying that these satellites are 1 billionth of a normal satellite?
Why do they always want to apply nano to everything?
Smash a nanosatellite-size hole into the international space station for me!
I don't know how flexible (if at all) the parameters are for your very own "chip" sized satellite but wouldn't it be possible to make it survive re-entry? If it were made of ceramic and light (not dense) enough, couldn't it be designed to "gently" de-orbit without building up the heat that would cause it to vaporize.
Shape might be important too, I understand how that the first space capsule designers were initially flumoxed be the inability of their needle nosed re-entry vehicles to survive more than a few seconds in the hypersonic wind tunnels before melting. Then, a clue from nature in the form of Tektites; spherical blobs of glass of extraterrestrial origin that managed to survive due to the shock wave that protected them. (Russian re-entry vehicles were spherical for a time, now I think they, like the Americans, are using blunt cones). So if they can't be flat, maybe you'll have to take the space of a few "chip" sized satellites to send one golf-ball sized satellite capable of re-entry.
What a scoop that would be if you could do this! Imagine a worldwide competition for "find the space golf ball" where the person who finds the (hopefully) intact ceramic ball will get a reward and fame. (There could be a code inside to verify the winner, or perhaps DeBeers would sponsor putting a nice diamond in it). If constructed properly, it could be made to float so a water landing wouldn't automatically lose it. Maybe some sort of retro-reflector could be used to make finding it easier as well (but would restrict the likely recovery teams to professionals).
Actually since the chance of finding one old be so small, I'd imagine you'd have to send up a bunch with the first one found getting the big reward. Still finding any of them would be a great collectors item! Finally there might be some (very small) uses for being able to return (very small) samples from space but because of the difficulty in finding it, it's probably best suited for some sort of game or promotional event.
Screw geek cred. I don't want idiots throwing toilet-paper at the space station. Or explosives.
How can we not have the infrastructure to move off this crazy planet?
It really doesn't sound like a good idea.
Burn up? Not a chance! My experimental payload would consist of tiny aero-dynamic "anagyre skipping stone" devices made of satellite piercing ceramic materials that will boomerang into higher, stable, orbits! Muhahahhaaahaha!
Yeah but thats not as fun as ass-fisting.
To achieve orbit, they have to trade kinetic for potential energy, there is no other way. Traction is lovely, but won't get you into space.
ps: 2001 called, and wants a royalty for using its buzzwords.
...is how these sprites being sold to us. Yet it wasn't what Sputnik did while in orbit that made it such a marvel, but the ingenuity that got it there. This is a neat idea, but sorry, geek cred can't be bought for $300 or any other amount. For the same money I could build a rocket that would not make it a fraction of the distance (assuming it didn't blow up on the launch pad), but it would be uniquely mine, as would be whatever "cred" that came with it.
Screw geek cred. I don't want idiots throwing toilet-paper at the space station. Or explosives.
How can we not have the infrastructure to move off this crazy planet?
Totally agree we need cheap access to space.
Now where did I leave that ceramic coated rebar? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_bombardment
-- Terry
when I was near the bottom I was hoping that I would read someting like "Wait, there's more!"
u noobs din't even thought of the after effects of this stupid scheme of yours...eh? building up space junk..so that whenever a critical research/maned NASA/JAXTA/EURO (srry RU's outta business i guess; multiple SAT launch failures :D) mission goes up..n they get accidentally hit by the space junk you all stupids left out there? do you really know that even a space debris of just a small centimetre in size could hit you with really enormous speeds and has the capability to pierce an astronaut's suit/ rocket's outer shield..!!?
now you're doing this just to promote/showoff your geekness?..ssshheehh... :/
now u guys have some issues ..being a "geek" (infact you shouldn't be called a "geek".. if you've been a real geek you should've come to finding a solution to already existing problems instead of "raising more" problems..!)
peace..~
The aim is to hit some one, as it is a 'satellite' it's all legal. The chances are minimal but then so is the lottery.
Dumb question - how do you ensure the sprites don't deploy from the kick sat facing downwards (ie. away from sun?) I'm guessing it has solar panels both sides? Wasn't immediately clear.
And this is how we get to that scene in Wall-E as he's leaving Earth.
I liked it in Star Trek when Spock's casket was launched into space after he died. I thought this would be a great way to be "buried". Then I saw this and put the two together. Why not offer this as a funeral service and instead of all the electronics, put 1000 one centimetre cubes in the release box filled with a small portion of the cremated remains. I think this would sell well at just $300 a pop. I would buy my centimetre spot right now. As a bonus, they could offer some 5 minute digital message for each participant to be beamed out by just one transmitter also in the box. That way ur message would be beamed to earth and out to the heavens forever. It sure would give me comfort to know that for a brief point in the future, part of me would be up in space and then burned up in the upper atmosphere. Maybe I am alone, but I would pay this and much more. Somehow... I think this $300 pricing must be off. Perhaps it is dependent on the load being research based and thus costs being subsidised.
I guess all the rich Douglas Adams fans out there will be wanting their own Microscopic Space Fleets...
I wonder what will governments say when one of these 300 bucks satellites cause a 100 thousand million satellite to get out of orbit or even an accident during a future space mission
im completely for freedom to tinker but we need to be aware of the harmful consequences of things we do might have, the trash already in space will eventually come bite us in the ass, if we are going to make more it should at least be for a good reason and not just for epen purposes
When it goes from 'having your own spacecraft' to 'had a short-lived spacecraft' it becomes much less uber-geek cred.
And, worse, when it goes from "having your own spacecraft" to "having the right to put the programming of your choice on somebody else's postage-stamp satellite, which will then broadcast your message at a power level too faint to be heard" it becomes even less cred.
But, there's no reason to think it will get into space at all. From the article:
As soon as funding is in place, we’ll apply for a free launch through several programs, such as NASA’s ELaNa CubeSat program....
So, you are joining a project that doesn't have the hard part, getting into space, nailed down yet. Building a satellite is easy-- I could throw a "satellite" together in an afternoon. Getting it into space-- now, that's hard.
For $300 bucks YOU can go into near space.
A near space stack consists of a helium balloon, recovery parachute, and nearcraft, and can reach fifty feet (~17m) in length. Such a stack can fly to over 100,000ft (~33km) in altitude yet costs only a few hundred dollars. The balloon expands as the stack rises and will eventually burst. The payload then parachutes to earth and is tracked with GPS data sent via telemetry on amateur radio .
If you like that idea, check out what the pros think about launching satellites from balloons. :)
Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.
Lets launch some wireless bridges into space and create our own SOPA/PIPA free internet...
Yes! The Dorothy 2.... You stole my design, you son of a bitch.
33 km is 1/3 of the way to space. Please stop perpetuating the boyscouts' sensationalist claims about weather balloons taking their junk "to the edge of space". That nonsense was written for the housewife moms, not for /.
So you are saying that the FAI is wrong? That the realm of Near Space doesn't officially lay between 75,000 feet (~23km) and and 62.5 miles (100km)?
Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.