31–40 of 70 posts
Feel also free to check our repositories at Gitlab. https://gitlab.com/librespacefoundation
Now I want to build a CubeSat that will point a laser pointer at different population centers as it passes around the earth. E.g. this pass of North America you choose LA, then NYC, then Houston, then Chicago... so you can see it streak by in the sky. My rough estimation is you could create a spot 2 miles across with a standard laser pointer at 400 miles high. Maybe you could use a different kind that would have a li…
For a while I thought you would need too much energy, then I realized I don't know well enough the physics of how a laser works. [Warning, very stupid idea ahead]: Since I don't know well enough the topic, why wouldn't be possible to use a satellite to collect solar energy (because outside the atmosphere you can collect ~40% more (edited) the solar energy due to lack of atmospheric filtering effect),and then transmit…
> Average annual solar radiation arriving at the top of the Earth's atmosphere is roughly 1361 W/m^2. The Sun's rays are attenuated as they pass through the atmosphere, leaving maximum normal surface irradiance at approximately 1000 W /m^2 at sea level on a clear day.
There are practical challenges, but otherwise, yes, it should work.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_irradiance#Irradiance_on...
I had this thought, why not build a small rifled tube with an explosive charge and bullet like projectile. The projectile has a rocket motor too. Get the cannon as high as possible with a balloon. At the limit, the cannon fires the projectile at high velocity. The rocket motor ignites giving the extra velocity. Do you think it could reach escape velocity? IANARS (I am not a rocket scientist)
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what are the other 2?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
For a while I thought you would need too much energy, then I realized I don't know well enough the physics of how a laser works. [Warning, very stupid idea ahead]: Since I don't know well enough the topic, why wouldn't be possible to use a satellite to collect solar energy (because outside the atmosphere you can collect ~40% more (edited) the solar energy due to lack of atmospheric filtering effect),and then transmit…
It's not 40x more, it's barely 40% more. [1] > Average annual solar radiation arriving at the top of the Earth's atmosphere is roughly 1361 W/m^2. The Sun's rays are attenuated as they pass through the atmosphere, leaving maximum normal surface irradiance at approximately 1000 W /m^2 at sea level on a clear day. There are practical challenges, but otherwise, yes, it should work. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sola…
I had this thought, why not build a small rifled tube with an explosive charge and bullet like projectile. The projectile has a rocket motor too. Get the cannon as high as possible with a balloon. At the limit, the cannon fires the projectile at high velocity. The rocket motor ignites giving the extra velocity. Do you think it could reach escape velocity? IANARS (I am not a rocket scientist)
That's how the Pegasus rocket launches, as well as some rockets currently under development by companies like Virgin and Stratolaunch
What are some ways that an individual person could benefit from their own CubeSat?
For the average person, probably not much; The main blocker will be that it costs about $10k to build, $20k to have it launched into space (USD).
If you are interested in open-source licenced Cubesat hardware, software and low earth orbit communications feel free to check out Libre Space Foundation https://libre.space Feel also free to check our repositories at Gitlab. https://gitlab.com/librespacefoundation
Now I want to build a CubeSat that will point a laser pointer at different population centers as it passes around the earth. E.g. this pass of North America you choose LA, then NYC, then Houston, then Chicago... so you can see it streak by in the sky. My rough estimation is you could create a spot 2 miles across with a standard laser pointer at 400 miles high. Maybe you could use a different kind that would have a li…
For a while I thought you would need too much energy, then I realized I don't know well enough the physics of how a laser works. [Warning, very stupid idea ahead]: Since I don't know well enough the topic, why wouldn't be possible to use a satellite to collect solar energy (because outside the atmosphere you can collect ~40% more (edited) the solar energy due to lack of atmospheric filtering effect),and then transmit…