YR VERY OWN SATELLITE OF LOVE

[defrog]

ITEM [via Slashdot]: Hey kids! Put yr own satellites in orbit with the Interorbital TubeSat Personal Satellite (PS) Kit.

A TubeSat is designed to function as a Basic Satellite Bus or as a simple stand-alone satellite. Each TubeSat kit includes the satellite’s structural components, safety hardware, solar panels, batteries, power management hardware and software,  transceiver, antennas, microcomputer, and the required programming tools. With these components alone, the builder can construct a satellite that puts out enough power to be picked up on the ground by a hand-held HAM radio receiver ...

The TubeSat also allows the builder to add his or her own experiment or function to the basic TubeSat kit. Examples of add-on experiments or functions include the following:

• Earth-from-space video imaging
• Earth magnetic field measurement
  
• Satellite orientation detection (horizon sensor, gyros, accelerometers, etc.)
  
• Orbital environment measurements (temperature, pressure, radiation, etc.)
  
• On-orbit hardware and software component testing (microprocessors, etc.)
  
• Tracking migratory animals from orbit
  
• Testing satellite stabilization methods
  
• Biological experiments
  
• On-orbit advertising
  
• Private e-mail.
  

On-orbit advertising?

The TubeSats are placed into self-decaying orbits 310 kilometers (192 miles) above the Earth’s surface. After a few weeks of operation, they re-enter the atmosphere and burn-up.

Yrs for $8,000. The cost of the launch is included. Launches are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Looking for satellites,

This is dF