Since nobody's posted their sales video yet, let me do the honors I still think they need a Deathstar construction video, to attract some military funding
Has anyone operated a nanosat even at a distance comparable to the Moon's orbit?
Quote from: Robotbeat on 01/23/2013 04:08 pmHas anyone operated a nanosat even at a distance comparable to the Moon's orbit?Depends on what you mean:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_4Just 6.1 kg, so technically a nanosat (<10 kg)...
Quote from: JohnFornaro on 01/23/2013 02:26 pmTo me, microgravity means something different from zero gravity. Therefore their foundry sounds like it can only work if it spins, or else if it is attached to a certain minimum sized asteroid, which would be along the lines of their illustration. The foundry is set up to refine nickle only.True zero gravity (meaning zero gravitational effects) cannot be found in the solar system, there are always tidal forces present. "Microgravity" is a standard term used to denote gravitational effects that are so low that the object is effectively in zero gee -- if you look at the object, it appears to be floating.
To me, microgravity means something different from zero gravity. Therefore their foundry sounds like it can only work if it spins, or else if it is attached to a certain minimum sized asteroid, which would be along the lines of their illustration. The foundry is set up to refine nickle only.
Quote from: Mongo62 on 01/23/2013 02:39 pmQuote from: JohnFornaro on 01/23/2013 02:26 pmTo me, microgravity means something different from zero gravity. Therefore their foundry sounds like it can only work if it spins, or else if it is attached to a certain minimum sized asteroid, which would be along the lines of their illustration. The foundry is set up to refine nickle only.True zero gravity (meaning zero gravitational effects) cannot be found in the solar system, there are always tidal forces present. "Microgravity" is a standard term used to denote gravitational effects that are so low that the object is effectively in zero gee -- if you look at the object, it appears to be floating.Which is an acceptable nit. How does this tighter definition of "microgravity" prove or disprove the operating principles of their microgravity foundry which apparently only works on nickle?
Some questions:-they said that their initial market would be refueling comsats. What fuel do comsats use? Can this fuel be manufactured from an asteroid?
-how are they going to handle deep space communications and tracking? Can this be done with conventional commercial equipment, or will they require something custom built? Will they require the DSN?
-has a commercial secondary payload ever been launched from a comsat?-how long does it take to secure a ride as a secondary payload on a rocket? Considering that they are talking about launching in 2015, when is the latest that they need to start negotiations for such a ride?
Good questions as well. Here are some answers:http://spaceflightservices.com/services/deployed-payloads/
Quote from: Robotbeat on 01/23/2013 07:02 pmGood questions as well. Here are some answers:http://spaceflightservices.com/services/deployed-payloads/The answer for GTO seems to be that it is possible, but I don't see any indication that it has been done. There is one opportunity available for 2015. Could possibly be more. However, just because a space is available doesn't necessarily mean that you have enough time to buy it. Contracts take a long time, and presumably the provider wants to know what your design looks like before they will close the deal (don't want anything dangerous to the primary, for instance).
But this one seems to have gotten a bit of notice anyway and has some names (not like Peter D, mind but SOME names) some people recognize. And, like kkattula, I'm wondering what they have in mind. I guess we'll find out tomorrow.
Slightly OT question: when do you think that off-Earth mining exceeds Earth-based mining in a) value added and b) ore mass processed? It will be starting from nothing, but there is exponential growth to consider.
(And, by the way, I meant to point out this: "The use of standard interfaces and containerized dispensers reduces launch procurement and integration time to a matter of months." SNIPBut cubesat components are actually pretty cheap:
They didn't announce that any members of their team had served on Hyabusa or NEAR.
Quote from: Robotbeat on 01/23/2013 08:38 pm(And, by the way, I meant to point out this: "The use of standard interfaces and containerized dispensers reduces launch procurement and integration time to a matter of months." SNIPBut cubesat components are actually pretty cheap: By the way, I conversed with somebody who has asked the contracting question to a bunch of cubesat makers/wannabes. He said that the minimum time for signing a contract seems to be 18 months out, but that it is more like two years. So a question to ask of DSI is "Have you signed a contract for a launch in 2015 yet?"As for the components being cheap, that's for standardized components. But for much of what they're talking about there is no standardized component. There's no standardized sample retrieval arm, or sample return container, for example. And I suspect that they know nothing about close proximity ops. They didn't announce that any members of their team had served on Hyabusa or NEAR.But because they have given actual dates that are not far off, it is possible to hold them to them. We could come back in December 2015 and see if they have or have not delivered the promise that they made yesterday.
Quote from: Blackstar on 01/24/2013 12:08 amThey didn't announce that any members of their team had served on Hyabusa or NEAR.IIRC, the prox ops for both missions were rather ad-hoc, so that lack of experience might not be that meaningful.
And actually, do you know of any teams who are sending a cubesat beyond GSO? Or who are using >1000s ISP propulsion on a cubesat that is set to fly?Those would be useful goals in and of themselves, and their demonstration (if it isn't too elaborate) would be quite useful for the community at large.