----- Original Message ----- From: "John Marranca, Jr" KB2HSH@amsat.org To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2007 11:18 AM Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: RS14/Oscar 21
Thanks for the input, Drew.
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Another super-satellite such as what AO-40 should have been would be nice, but let's face it: they are really expensive and perhaps a bit too complicated. Instead of one monster satellite, why not build many smaller ones? Less sophisticated ones?
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The biggest reason is the cost to launch... unless we can get a free or almost free ride, or piggyback on someone else's payload, we need to get as much "bang" for our launch dollar as we can. And IF we got a free ride, I, for one, would not want to see it squandered.
Pretty much only universities, for-profit corporations, and the military can afford to launch a lot of little satellites.