Hi Trevor,
I'm really keen on exploring just how realistic it is to place a "orbit modifying" system on a 3U CubeSat or a satellite the size of AO51. A lot is being presented to the CubeSat community about the possibilities of using the lower cost launch to get to LEO and then "slowly" modify the orbit to an elliptical MEO - using "safe" plasma or ion propulsion.
David Bowman, G0MRF, presented a great paper at the October AMSAT 2008 Symposium which went into details about how it might be done and a survey of the propulsion options being worked on. Much of that paper's background can be found on David's web site at:
(Get a copy of the AMSAT 2008 Symposium papers for his updated presentation)
At the CaL Poly 2009 CubeSat workshop, the following two papers were presented on the subject of satellite propulsion.
http://mstl.atl.calpoly.edu/~bklofas/Presentations/DevelopersWorkshop2009/1_... http://mstl.atl.calpoly.edu/~bklofas/Presentations/DevelopersWorkshop2009/1_...
Are there any AMSAT volunteers out there interested in the technical challenge of creating a team to help turn these interesting ideas into flyable hardware?? I'm sure that this could also turn into a great commercial opportunity for you entrepreneurs out there.
I firmly believe it's an "obvious" technological direction to take, if we are to "economically" move out of the LEO orbits. Again - anyone interested in moving talk into action?
Regards...Bill - N6GHz AMSAT Engineering Task Force
Trevor . wrote:
The recently launched TerreStar-1 is designed to provides emergency comms capability http://www.southgatearc.org/news/july2009/terrestar_1_launched.htm
The basic problem is that Amateurs want linear transponder satellites in orbits above 1400 km in order to provide reasonable DX opportunities and pass times greater than 20 minutes. But "cheap" launches only seem to be available for 500-800 km orbits, so we need to find a way to increase the orbit of say a triple-cubesat from 700 km to 1400 km using a non-combustive technology so as not to upset the cheap launch provider.
Providing the radio communications is by comparison a trival exercise it's finding a means (solar powered thrusters ?) to increase orbital height that's the tricky part.
73 Trevor M5AKA
--- On Sun, 5/7/09, John B. Stephensen kd6ozh@comcast.net wrote:
From: John B. Stephensen kd6ozh@comcast.net Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: dream your own sat To: kc6uqh@cox.net, "'rupert red'" rupert.red@live.it, amsat-bb@amsat.org Date: Sunday, 5 July, 2009, 9:54 PM The problem is that amateur radio doesn't significantly reduce the cost of a satellite. Any interest by the Red Cross would not be in the satellite but in human volunteers that might come with it. Unfortunately, the LEO satellites that hams can afford generate little interest in this forum.
73,
John KD6OZH
----- Original Message ----- From: "Art McBride" kc6uqh@cox.net To: "'rupert red'" rupert.red@live.it; amsat-bb@amsat.org Sent: Sunday, July 05, 2009 19:00 UTC Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: dream your own sat
Rupert, I think that is a fair assumption on your part, but
only because the are
no new ideas being presented that have commercial
potential that can use
Amateur Radio as an inexpensive to proof of concept. In the present Amateur Radio community only Emergency
Communications is
getting the publicity. Perhaps FEMA or the Red Cross
might help pay for an
emergency communication satellite otherwise it is
LEO's forever!
Art, KC6UQH
-----Original Message----- From: amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org
[mailto:amsat-bb-bounces@amsat.org] On
Behalf Of rupert red Sent: Sunday, July 05, 2009 4:47 AM To: amsat-bb@amsat.org Subject: [amsat-bb] dream your own sat
Hallo all...
from a while I'm hearing about MANY different and
interesting satellite
solutions...
LEO, MEO, HEO, GEO... MOON !!!
The problem is only ONE !
Amateur radio community has no money for this project,
and will never
have!
Amsat & Co will never be able to collect
millions.... I red on this bb
that hams has no money for an expensive ground station...
then how can they
send many money to Amsat?
Public and private organizations all over the world
have not an high
consideration of hams, and will never invest founds
for them.
The conclusion is only ONE... we will never see a new
oscar satellite in
the sky (at least some student's cube).
Let's all dream together guys.
Best 73 Rupert
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