Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Be the first on your block to orbit a satellite
by Larry Geller
We’ve written about do-it-yourself drones before, but this is even cooler. Or more cool. Whatever. Why worry about grammar on the way to world domination?
And world domination needn’t be ruinously expensive, at least for the first steps.
Total Price of the TubeSat Kit including a Launch to Orbit: $8,000!
TubeSats are designed to function as a Basic Satellite Bus or as a simple stand-alone satellite. Each TubeSat kit includes the satellite's structural components, printed circuit board (PCB) Gerber Files, electronic components, solar cells, batteries, transceiver (requires an authorized frequency allocation from the FCC or equivalent non-US entity), antennas, microcomputer, and the required programming tools.
Read about the TubeSat Personal Satellite Kit here.
In a hurry?
If the buyer pays the full cost of the TubeSat kit upfront, he or she is immediately placed on a launch manifest according to the order in which the payment was received.
Now, I wonder if the TubeSat can be made to control your do-it-yourself drone? As to programming, would it be much different from programming a video game, except that in this case the enemy can be who or whomever you please? (Darn grammar!).
Or what a great present for your musical kids—an orbiting satellite broadcasting their band to the world from outer space. Maybe in exchange for some peace and quiet at home….
At worst, you’ll have a bit of space junk up there with your name on it.
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