 |
PongSats - Tiny 'Satellites' At Space's Edge
JP Aeronautics runs a pretty cool program for amateur experimenters. When the company sends up one of its balloons to near space (as high as 100,000 feet), it allows anyone to send up a tiny satellite all their own. The only restriction? it must be no bigger than a ping-pong ball.
(Away 24 High Rack ready for flight)
Here's a typical PongSat experiment by David Scott. The PongSat is based on a BASIC Stamp 2 module to measure temperature as it ascended. David's PongSat used a BS2, a Dallas Semiconductor DS1620 digital thermometer, and a 93C66 512 byte serial EEPROM. It used 16-bit words and was capable of making up to 256 measurements, each 90 seconds apart. On its "mission" it succeeded in making 98 temperature measurements before its battery froze.
(PongSat ready to go)
Sounds like a great opportunity for everyone.
These things really remind me of the recording eyes from Robert Silverberg's excellent 1969 novel The Man in the Maze. How can you best take a look at the surface of a planet that is always shrouded in clouds?
"...We parked a drone ship fifty thousand kilometers up and dropped roughly a thousand eyes on Beta Hydri IV. At least half went straight to the bottom of the ocean... This was the only one that actually showed us a clear view of the aliens."
(Read more about recording eyes)
Read more at the PongSat page.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 1/19/2007)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Space Tech ")
'Significant Amount' Of Lunar Water Found
Lunar ice mining might actually come true, droogs, let's hope Authority buys ice at right price.
Escape Pods, Refuge Of ISS Astronauts From Space Junk
Who first thought of the idea of an escape pod? I looked pretty hard, but more research is probably needed.
Is This A 'Skylight' Leading To A Lunar Cave?
Could this deep hole be an entrance to a lunar cave or lava tube? If so, it could point the way to a perfect location for permanent habitation on the Moon.
Regolith Excavation Challenge Yields Prize Money
Updated! Someone finally took some NASA prize money home in this remote lunar digging competition.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
AirRobot Micro-UAV 'Fairies' In Shakespeare Play
At least they were not the 'rude mechanicals'.
Paralysis Ray Uses Photocontrolled Molecular Switch
Gerry was dubious. She had seen abortive attempts at paralysis rays before.
Brine Wells May Swallow Towns
Dissolve 1 teaspoon of the Quadraturin essence in 1 cup of water.
Will In-Vitro Meat Change Our Lives?
ChickieNobs, anyone?
Walky iPhone Finger Gesture Robot Controller
Let your fingers - uh - your robot do the walking. And hopping.
OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown Foils Carjacker
Better than a car chase.
Robot Martial Arts Videos
Robo-Shiko!
Interactive TV Patent From Sony
Can you dance faster than the White Clown?
Smart Contact Lens With Power Harvesting Circuits
Smart contacts with VR connections.
'Significant Amount' Of Lunar Water Found
Droogs! There's water ice on the moon!
FOXP2 Tweak Yields Planet Of The Apes?
Get your filthy words off me, you damn dirty ape!
Lev, Theremin-Playing Robot
Patsy Cline classic played by robot.
XT-1 Micro Mouse With Blazing Speed
These are fully autonomouse robots.
Escape Pods, Refuge Of ISS Astronauts From Space Junk
Who first thought about escape pods?
Steerable Bowling Ball Is A Cheesy Spherical Robot
Once the province of geeks, now in bowling alleys.
Bio-Mechanics And Micro-Robotic Flight
Micro air vehicles and insect flight.
