DIY Kit Puts Satellites Into Orbit For $8,000, page 1
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ATS Members have flagged this thread 5 times
Topic started on 30-7-2010 @ 12:58 PM by JohnnyR

DIY Kit Puts Satellites Into Orbit For $8,000




For extreme hobbyists, the new kit offers a chance to launch personal projects into space.


THE GIST

A company is selling kits to build and fly small satellites for $8,000.
Interorbital Systems has planned a test flight of its Neptune rocket in August.
Customers include hobbyists, universities and government research labs.



Source


I have mixed emotions about this, on one hand how fun would it be to actually build your own satellite just to even take pictures of earth? But I can also see a can of worms being opened here, the article says:


Most TubeSat customers, so far, are universities, including the Naval Postgraduate School in California, Morehead State University in Kentucky, and the University of Sydney in Australia. A private high school has signed up and so has the United Kingdom's Defense, Science and Technology Laboratory.



Who are the other customers? Can anyone with $8000 have a satellite in space?

Will the US government even allow this? I mean now you'll have many different groups in space and NASA won't have the monopoly over information anymore. Albeit these won't be much more than glorified weather balloons.

Normal citizens could have the ability to run some of their own experiments in space for example:


The customers include hobbyists like Alex Antunes, who is customizing his TubeSat into a device that can detect changes in the ionosphere in a digital format for musicians' use


Granted this particular experiment isn't going to find anti matter or the when the universe was created or other planets for that matter, but it does make space for the average human a lot more accessible.

What do you guys think, maybe an ATS satellite

Could you imagine during the oil spill if we could have had our own satellite images of the area?

Take donations Skeptic Overlord!! Build an ATS satellite.


What do you guys and gals think?

JohnnyR



P.S. This is my first thread, so go easy on me. Still trying to figure out all the posting guidelines etc. I put this under Education and Media, If its in the wrong place please move admins.

[edit on 7/30/2010 by JohnnyR]


reply posted on 30-7-2010 @ 01:04 PM by ZombieJesus
reply to post by JohnnyR



Thanks for the find

I personally think this is really cool.

Heres a link to the actual website:

www.interorbital.com...


reply posted on 30-7-2010 @ 01:19 PM by JohnPhoenix
As cheap as this is, I wonder how they are going to solve the problems of having thousands and thousands of new satellites in orbit and coordinate them from getting in the way of other satellites.

What about craft integrity? It's a kit?.. like a do it yourself hobby rocket?

If so, won't most of these things become space junk because they will fall apart?

Oh I see.. the company will build the craft.

CubeSats Can Now Fly with TubeSats in Mixed Launches: The NEPTUNE 30 payload section has been modified to allow the orbital launch of up to 4 single CubeSats or two double CubeSats. TubeSats will make up the majority of the payload. The price per CubeSat launch is $12,500. The target orbit is circular with an altitude of 310 km.

TubeSat PS Kit Design Update: The engineers at Interorbital have improved the design of the TubeSat, increasing its experiment and application payload by 50 grams.

TubeSat PERSONAL SATELLITE (PS) KIT: One of our primary missions at Interorbital is to provide satellite hardware and launch support for the experimental and commercial satellite community. We are currently offering our TubeSat Personal Satellite (PS) Kit AND a launch to orbit on our NEPTUNE 30 rocket for the combined price $8,000. Kentucky Space and Bob Twiggs, one of the inventors of the CubeSat, have recognized the educational and price advantage of the TubeSat and have authorized the purchase of a TubeSat for Morehead State University's Space Science Center. Professor Twiggs plans integrate the construction of their TubeSat into his curriculum at Morehead. Twiggs commented, "I have also bought payload space on the NEPTUNE 30's low-altitude, pre-orbital tests flights to give my students early flight and payload integration experience. I recommend that other universities take advantage of this rare opportunity." For details and ordering information, click on the TubeSat image below.





[edit on 30-7-2010 by JohnPhoenix]


reply posted on 30-7-2010 @ 01:21 PM by Gentill Abdulla
Originally posted by JohnPhoenix
As cheap as this is, I wonder how they are going to solve the problems of having thousands and thousands of new satellites in orbit and coordinate them from getting in the way of other satellites.

What about craft integrity? It's a kit?.. like a do it yourself hobby rocket?

If so, won't most of these things become space junk because they will fall apart?



www.sciencedaily.com...
The late Dr Forward -- a renowned physicist who worked in the United States and from his second home in Scotland -- believed it was possible to use 'displaced orbits' to deploy more satellites to the north or south of the Earth's equator, helping to meet the growing demand for communications.

He proposed that the orbit of a geostationary satellite could be pushed above -- or below -- the usual geostationary ring around the Earth, which follows the line of the equator, by using a large solar sail propelled by the pressure of sunlight. However, critics later claimed that such 'displaced orbits' were impossible due to the unusual dynamics of the problem.


They can displace the orbits to allow for more room. He ended up being right.


reply posted on 30-7-2010 @ 01:26 PM by JohnnyR
reply to post by JohnPhoenix



Thanks for the reply everyone, yeah John thats what I was kinda worried about. But I think Gentill Abdulla makes a great point. I guess we'll find out in August.

Faceoff, I'm in, I mean with the amount of members it couldn't be too much, the question would be, who would build it.

I'm sure we have some members that could.

[edit on 7/30/2010 by JohnnyR]



reply posted on 30-7-2010 @ 01:30 PM by JohnnyR
reply to post by ZombieJesus



Thanks for the link Zombie much appreciated. Like I said, my first thread thank you for making it better


reply posted on 30-7-2010 @ 01:32 PM by JohnnyR
reply to post by acrux



That's an important question acrux. I could see the governments not being too excited about this. Like the article says, first try is in August, I guess we'll see.


reply posted on 30-7-2010 @ 01:43 PM by ZombieJesus
reply to post by JohnnyR





Thanks for the link Zombie much appreciated. Like I said, my first thread thank you for making it better


No problem

And might I add, an awesome topic for a first thread
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