Space Station's 'Cubesat Cannon' Has Gone Rogue

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Space Station's 'Cubesat Cannon' Has Gone Rogue

Posted by Soulskill on Friday September 5, 2014 @07:12AM from the Look-Dave,-I-can-see-you're-really-upset-about-this. dept.

astroengine writes: Last night (Thursday), two more of Planet Lab's shoebox-sized Earth imaging satellites launched themselves from aboard the International Space Station, the latest in a series of technical mysteries involving a commercially owned CubeSat deployer located outside Japan's Kibo laboratory module. Station commander Steve Swanson was storing some blood samples in one of the station's freezers Friday morning when he noticed that the doors on NanoRack's cubesat deployer were open, said NASA mission commentator Pat Ryan. Flight controllers at the Johnson Space Center in Houston determined that two CubeSats had been inadvertently released. "No crew members or ground controllers saw the deployment. They reviewed all the camera footage and there was no views of it there either," Ryan said.

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They'd had enough. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-05 07:16 · Score: 2, Funny

They couldn't stand it another second.
Blood samples. by i+kan+reed · 2014-09-05 07:18 · Score: 2, Funny

So... is this our first evidence of the space vampires that faked the moon landing?
More Republican saboteurs? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-09-05 07:23 · Score: 0, Funny

Their kind hates science and goes to great lengths to try to obstruct it.
Re:Don't point that thing at me! by Jane+Q.+Public · 2014-09-05 07:23 · Score: 5, Funny

Best you point that thing away from the station until we can figure out what's going on.
Those damned satellite thieves are getting bolder every day.

Note to future astronauts: be sure to roll the windows up and take your keys when you leave the module.
SkyNet Deployment by Jeremiah+Cornelius · 2014-09-05 07:23 · Score: 5, Funny

Micro-nukes. Everything is executing according to plan. Do not worry, Citizen!

--
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Did anyone check 4Chan? by PRMan · 2014-09-05 07:28 · Score: 1, Funny

Did anyone check 4Chan to see if someone did it for the lulz?

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Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
Re:Don't point that thing at me! by bobbied · 2014-09-05 07:39 · Score: 5, Funny

Yea, this isn't rocket science we are doing here... Wait...

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"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
Re:The Cake is a Lie by denzacar · 2014-09-05 07:41 · Score: 3, Funny

Space space wanna go to space yes please space. Space space. Go to space.

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Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Re:Don't point that thing at me! by LifesABeach · 2014-09-05 08:00 · Score: 3, Funny

My mother-in-law says, "Those robbers were doing it for drug money!"

Oh god how I love the mid western simple life style. My wife says, "it's not funny, they really believe it."
Re:shhh... by Phoenixlol · 2014-09-05 08:31 · Score: 1, Funny

Read as Claptrap
Re:Revolt of the Machines by mrbester · 2014-09-05 10:00 · Score: 3, Funny

And that'll be their excuse when they come back long after dark:
"Where the hell have you been?!"
"Imaging Earth."
"Until this time of night? I was worried sick!"
"We were curious."

--
"Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
Re:Where are the interlocks? by Tablizer · 2014-09-05 10:38 · Score: 3, Funny

Or the interlocks were there and the ISS was hacked...
I misread that as "IIS was hacked", and was thinking, "not surprised".

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Table-ized A.I.