Author Topic: Payloads into space for $99 (Read 3552 times)

Chris Bergin · « **on:** 04/18/2006 10:44 pm »

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/04-18-2006/0004341830&EDATE=

Launch Fan · « **Reply #1 on:** 04/19/2006 12:19 am »

What could you manage to get into a tin can? They say it's been done before, but I suppose you could create a small transmitter and track it?

ericr · « **Reply #2 on:** 04/19/2006 07:27 am »

Quote

Launch Fan - 18/4/2006 7:19 PM

What could you manage to get into a tin can? They say it's been done before, but I suppose you could create a small transmitter and track it?

I was thinking a small video camera with microphone would be fun for 99 bucks.

braddock · « **Reply #3 on:** 04/19/2006 10:14 am »

Masten Space Systems doesn't actually have a vehicle yet, nor anything close; I doubt these sub-orbital cansats will ever fly.

Masten has a very small 400 lb thrust engine, and a computer animation of their future vehicle. However, this seems to be the actual state of their vehicle development:

http://masten-space.com/images/xa0.1_frame.JPG">

The obligatory "founders development blog" is here: http://masten-space.com/blog/index.php?paged=1

SimonShuttle · « **Reply #4 on:** 04/19/2006 12:13 pm »

I'd go for it, just for a cool story to tell people in the pub. Shame they don't have a vehicle yet.

braddock · « **Reply #5 on:** 04/19/2006 05:08 pm »

Quote

SimonShuttle - 19/4/2006 8:13 AM
I'd go for it, just for a cool story to tell people in the pub. Shame they don't have a vehicle yet.

Frankly, I think it is a brilliant market. I'm pretty sure for $99 I'd fly SOMETHING, even sub-orbital, and I'll bet there are 10's of thousand of others who would do the same, not even counting every high school science class worth it's salt (and that is a recurring market!). And this isn't limited to space enthusiasts either; you'd get the happy hacker crowd, who pay more than that for a couple years of subscription to MAKE Magazine or a good mention on HackADay.com.

This market has legs! Someone should put it to good use. JP Aerospace is flying PongSats on balloons and sounding rockets, but only for education and for free; not really testing the marketplace.

The problem with these guys is that they don't seem to be machinists. They are assembling a vehicle using 80/20 hardware ("The Industrial Erector Set"). As far as I can tell from their blog, they are sending their engine designs out to be made. They won't get far that way.

Bill White · « **Reply #6 on:** 04/19/2006 10:01 pm »

From a comment at the Masten site.

In an age of USB powered coffee warmers, fans, and so on, I’m glad to see there’s a USB 2.0 Space Probe.

If they get this thing to fly and can offer USB hookups to each can, it seems to me that a computer network company should be willing to pay money to be the "official supplier" of the Masten suborbital LAN.