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NASA Pondering Two Public Contests To Build Small Space Exploration Satellites

Posted by samzenpus on from the build-it-for-us dept.

coondoggie writes "NASA today said it was looking into developing two new Centennial Challenge competitions that would let the public design, build and deliver small satellites known as Cubesats capable of operations and experiments near the moon and beyond. The first challenge will focus on finding innovative ways to allow deep space communications with small spacecraft, while the second focuses on primary propulsion for small spacecraft."

12 of 127 comments (clear)

  1. Beta by RyanFenton · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'll join the crowd and help post in every thread that pops up, and upvote all the other comments I can find doing the same.

    Slashdot Beta is not fixable - it is trash code that should be abandoned as a "lessons learned" exercise. It's not even a close decision - it's pretty much unanimous amongst the users - the ones that provide 90+% of any meaningful content on this particular site in particular.

    If this advice that everyone is giving isn't honored by the local 'beta' admins, I believe it's time to start communicating with the people in charge, and pulling the levers of power a bit - and hopefully get these folks a stern talking to about what they were throwing away.

    Shorter version: THE BETA SUCKS. LOSE IT.

    Ryan Fenton

    1. Re:Beta by Bob9113 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I *LOVE* Slashdot. That's why I have spent so much time creating comments that I hope add value to the discourse, and put so much effort into my otherwise tenuous self-restraint regarding flaming. I come here to read comments, and to add value to the comment trees. I am happy for Dice to make a profit selling ads on the content our community creates by playing host.

      That is a really good trade for all of us, Dice. Don't screw it up.

      As for my personal #1 gripe: Don't require Javascript to read comments. OpenStreetMaps is content that begs to be browsed dynamically. Reading a comment tree is an almost entirely static endeavor. Keeping Javascript disabled on most sites is something I'm guessing a large portion of the audience here does. And remember: The audience creates the content. Lose one, you lose the other.

      The Spirit of Mohdri Dragon Lives!

      --
      Stop-Prism.org: Opt Out of Surveillance
  2. Fuck Beta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Beta != Slashdot

    Once there's only beta, slashdot will cease to be slashdot. FUCK SOULLESS BETA

  3. Buck Feta by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative
    Feta cheese was on sale today for only a dollar a pound.

    That's a dollar and a pound of cheese more than the Slashdot beta is worth.

  4. Beta... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Geez, when are they going to shit can this beta web site. It is total garbage.......

  5. Make Beta go away please by nixon · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've been a Slashdot quite a while, been so long I can't remember. This new beta site needs to go. The current layout works just fine. The new one looks like one of those SEO spam sites used to get clicks. Please make it go away.

  6. Re:NO! by Koen+Lefever · · Score: 5, Informative

    I don't come here for the stories, I come here for the comments. Whatever trolling is going on, there always was somebody with relevant knowledge around.

    I have been reading /. since 1998 almost every day (changed userID when I changed e-mail address), loading everything in full at level 0 and summaries at level -1 (not because I love trolls, but because some really interesting AC comments never get modded up.) In the Beta, it just doesn't work like that anymore - that is a big difference with all previous /. restylings.

    Filled in the survey, like many others did, it seems we are being ignored. I would rather go back to a monochrome 40 character width screen than to the /. beta.

    --
    /. refugees on Usenet: news:comp.misc
  7. Save Slashdot Classic! by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Informative

    I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, "I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell - "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  8. In other news... NASA says FUCK BETA! by denzacar · · Score: 5, Funny

    "NASA today said it was looking into fucking beta that would let the public fuck, bugger and dickplow beta known as "fucking beta" capable of sucking and being fucked near the moon and beyond. The first challenge will focus on finding innovative ways to allow deep fucking beta with small spacecraft, while the second focuses on fucking beta for small spacecraft."

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  9. Time for a slashdotting. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here is Dice's "Contact Us" page. Everybody be sure to call them tomorrow using whatever numbers from that page you can get to ring. Tell every darn receptionist in every darn one of Dice's holdings, along with anyone you can get them to connect you to, that the Slashdot beta is terrible and you won't shut up until it goes away. Fax them a well-illustrated complaint or two or three. Send them a choice letter via snail mail, along with whatever memorabilia you wish.

    They keep soliciting our feedback, they can get our feedback, right where it counts.

    Spread the word by mentioning this in every article's comments.

    The most obvious contact points are:

    Dice Holdings Inc.
    1040 Avenue of the Americas, 8th Floor
    New York, NY 10018
    T: 212-725-6550
    F: 212-725-6559

    Slashdot
    594 Howard St Suite 300
    San Francisco, CA 94105
    Tel: +1-877-433-5638
    www.slashdot.com

  10. Buying Slashdot by Gregory+Arenius · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What do you guys think a fair price for slashdot would be? I'm curious because I'm thinking about starting a kickstarter or something to buy slashdot and turn it into a community run forum.

    This site is valuable because of the community it has. I don't come here for the articles, I come here for the discussions. I know that the majority of the people who come here do so for the same reasons. DICE doesn't get that, and once they kill the community there won't be any real way to rebuild it. I think that would be a shame since I love this place. For all its flaws I think the community here is awesome.

    So, what do you guys think? Is it at all within the realm of reason to buy slashdot and make it ours?

    --Cheers,
    Greg

  11. There will be no more real discussion here until.. by drussell · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This Beta garbage dies in a burning ball of galactic-temperature-infused inferno...

    I should have seen this coming for months and set up a slashdot clone we could all move to... Hmm, shortsighted!

    Shut it off... Turn it off NOW! Bad, BAD experiment!