The mass simulator was likely used to give accurate data for the launch vehicles performance (inaugural flight of Antares) for the launch of the actual Cygnus spacecraft. While yes, you could pound for pound replaced the mass simulator with something like P3E, you wouldn't get the data Orbital was looking for. Those sensors attached to the Mass simulator allows Orbital to obtain flight information of environments such as vibrations, temperatures, shocks, etc. that can be used to better calibrate ground testing of the real spacecraft. I find it hard to believe they would easily swap the mass simulator out for something like P3E since the goal was to better understand environments that Cygnus would actually see.
Bryce KB1LQC
On Wed, Sep 18, 2013 at 10:31 AM, lucleblanc6@videotron.ca wrote:
On 17 Sep 2013 at 13:58, John Becker wrote:
I have decided to leave the list till something changes with this FM only satellite attitude only changes. That was the reason for me as well as other joining AMSAT in the first place.
Please inform me if anything such as a replacement for AO 40 happens.
John _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite
program!
Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
For the record there is some lower cost affordable launch capabilities just read below:
The primary payload is the Cygnus Mass Simulator (CMS), it has a height of 199.25 inches (5,061 mm), a diameter of 114 inches (2,900 mm) and a mass of 8,400 pounds (3,800 kg).[8] It is equipped with 22 accelerometers, 2 microphones, 12 digital thermometers, 24 thermocouples and 12 strain gages.
The secondary payloads are four CubeSats that were deployed from the CMS.Three of them are PhoneSats, 1U CubeSats built by NASA's Ames Research Center. These are named Alexander, Graham and Bell, after the inventor of the telephone.The purpose of these three satellites is to demonstrate the use of smart phones as avionics in Cube Sats. They each have a mass of 2.48 pounds (1.124 kg) and are powered by lithium batteries. The fourth nanosat is a 3U CubeSat, called Dove-1, built by Cosmogia Inc. It carries a "technology development Earth imagery experiment" using the Earth's magnetic field for attitude control.
Is it possible to carry P3E? numerous test launch use dummy mass why not launching one bigger satellite instead of a bunch of small one?
As for the debate LEO vs HEO those who vote in favor of HEO are waiting out of AMSAT watching the 10 minuts LEO'S going up and down as the Jolly Jumper does.
Is it better than nothing else?
Luc Leblanc VE2DWE WAC BASIC CW PHONE SATELLITE
Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb