[time-nuts] TubeSat Personal Satellite Kit

[Lux, Jim (337C)]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: time-nuts-bounces at febo.com [mailto:time-nuts-bounces at febo.com] On
> Behalf Of Magnus Danielson
> Sent: Wednesday, August 05, 2009 4:02 PM
> To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement
> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] TubeSat Personal Satellite Kit
> 
> christopher hoover wrote:
> >
> > Anyone want to chip in and launch some clocks?  :-)
> >
> > http://spacefellowship.com/2009/08/01/interorbital-syatems-tubesat-
> personal-satellite-kit/
> >
> >
> > Excerpt below.
> 
> Well, considering that it needs to fit into a 200 gram weigth limit,
> 85,6 mm in diameter and 50,8 mm long space for what ever "fun" to tag
> along, the radio does probably not allow for any neat frequency or
> modulation tricks and the fun is for somewhere between 3 and 13 weeks,
> it has some challenges.
> 
> What I in particular is missing is the vibration and acceleration specs
> that would be needed for design and testing.
> 
> Another issue is what kind of capacity and such the uplink/downlink
> has.
> 
> Then there is all kinds of other issues as expected radiation levels,
> temperature etc. etc.
> 
> The 2 page datasheet leaves a little too much details out. Hopefully
> things will clear up.
> 


Well  with the specs given, I think that the primary application would be launching your ashes into orbit.  One could take a 200 gram sample, and they'll certainly handle any of the environmental conditions.

One generally expects to see some sort of "user manual" that gives you at least ballpark environmental and other requirements. In the low budget world, the cubesat folks have done this, but their launch cost is $50K.. you get a kilo and a liter to LEO.

Interorbital is pretty "marketing oriented" so far:  "Flight tests will begin in January 2010", and that's of their common propulsion module to 50kft (which is the extent of their current test area's launch authorization). Lots of investment and sponsorship and advertising opportunities.  

Their website is pretty optimistic.. (considering they haven't actually launched anything, but the "team" page says that the first crewmember is looking forward to his first flight in 2010)

So.. having not flown yet, it's sort of pointless for them to publish environmental requirements for payloads. They probably only have a rough order of magnitude, if that, idea of what they might be.  



James Lux, P.E.
Task Manager, SOMD Software Defined Radios
Flight Communications Systems Section 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
4800 Oak Grove Drive, Mail Stop 161-213
Pasadena, CA, 91109
+1(818)354-2075 phone
+1(818)393-6875 fax