Posted 07.27.2012 at 5:14 pm
13 Comments
Song Ho-jun
Reuters
South Korean artist Song Ho-jun has spent years working on his very own DIY sputnik, a homemade satellite cobbled together from electronics store parts. It might be the first satellite completely built by an individual. Now, later this year, it'll launch.
Song started the "Open Satellite Initiative," an idea he came up with as an intern at a satellite company, and sought experts and information he'd need for the launch. Meanwhile, he ran a small electronics business and got help from his parents.
The final product includes a tiny box--1 kilogram and 10 cubic centimeters--that will send back information on how it's functioning, such as the status of the battery and temperature. Communication will work the other way, too: people will be able to radio up to it. Once in orbit, it'll transmit messages via Morse code.
The satellite is set to launch from Kazakhstan in December.
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i envy him for he is able to make one, how i wish i could make one too but not satellite but a single man plane that is capable enough to travel a hundred miles,ehehehe
Load up an Ipod put it on that sucker and let everyone listen.
@d13, i would assume there's space between the commonly used orbitals that could perfectly accommodate a 10 cubic centimeter object. however i don't agree with you when you say we shouldn't toss stuff into space simply because we can. we can and we will anyways but instead of just saying don't do it instead we should take the stance of "be responsible" every satellite should have a rocket mounted on it that when the kill switch is pressed shoots it straight towards the earth allowing it to be burnt up during re-entry.
to mars or bust!
I want to launch a satellite in space, with extreme digital lighting, which I can put advertisements for the entire world to see! ROFL...
Oh, great. More space junk.
I think the article meant to say that the satellite is 10 cm per side (10 centimetres cubed), and not "10 cubic centimetres." 10 cubic centimetres would be less than 1 cubic inch! If it's 10 cm to a side the satellite is (10 cm)^3 or 1000 cm^3 (exactly one litre).
@D13 and @jefro
I've heard of cubesats being placed in an unstable orbit. Eventually the tiny amount of atmospheric drag they experience in their low orbit will cause them to deorbit and burn up as they re-enter the atmosphere. This way they don't become another piece of space junk. This may well be what they're doing with this satellite.
He's an artist who wants to be a scientist.
I'm a scientist who wants to be an artist.
Why can we all just get along?
I don't think we have to worry about hobbyists junking up the orbits. Most of these satellites have extremely unstable orbits, no propulsion systems for orbital adjustment, and are in a low enough orbit to experience micro-drag (the phenomenon of atomic oxygen causing minute dragon spacecraft thereby degrading the orbit faster). I'll give his satellite a year lifespan tops.
Wouldn't balloons rather than rockets be a safer bet for making orbit? Hydrogen escapes our atmosphere, so why not just catch a ride on that to the level of orbit and release, with little boosters for equaling out?
You could potentially use the hydrogen from the balloon as your propellant right? and the higher you go the less dense the atmosphere, and lesser gravity combined should make it easier to launch from further up if need be..