Comments on: Postage-Stamp Satellites Hitch a Ride on the Space Station http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/04/29/postage-stamp-satellites-poised-to-begin-mission-to-explore-the-solar-system/ Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:34:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: David http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/04/29/postage-stamp-satellites-poised-to-begin-mission-to-explore-the-solar-system/#comment-26908 David Tue, 17 May 2011 12:45:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=28630#comment-26908 What I want to know more about is the power source. Solar? Battery? A combination of the two? The radio signal must be terribly weak. Maybe they'll need a planet-sized radio array to receive the signals once they do set these things loose in space. Then, I really don't know much about radio other than the fact that it isn't all that reliable. I remember, 2007 I think, solar flare activity on our sun disrupted a lot of wireless communications here on Earth. We had a couple of employees in South Florida whose wireless networks were offline for two days then started working again. I think the idea is very cool but receiving the radio signals will probably be the biggest challenge to overcome, in my opinion. What I want to know more about is the power source. Solar? Battery? A combination of the two? The radio signal must be terribly weak. Maybe they’ll need a planet-sized radio array to receive the signals once they do set these things loose in space. Then, I really don’t know much about radio other than the fact that it isn’t all that reliable. I remember, 2007 I think, solar flare activity on our sun disrupted a lot of wireless communications here on Earth. We had a couple of employees in South Florida whose wireless networks were offline for two days then started working again. I think the idea is very cool but receiving the radio signals will probably be the biggest challenge to overcome, in my opinion.

]]> By: solar power http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/04/29/postage-stamp-satellites-poised-to-begin-mission-to-explore-the-solar-system/#comment-26907 solar power Thu, 05 May 2011 09:23:34 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=28630#comment-26907 Wow, that was a great read. In conclusion, someone who actually thinks and knows what they are talking about. Quite difficult to determine of late, especially on blog sites . I bookmarked your web blog and will make sure to keep returning here if this is how you always post. Thanks, keep it up! . Wow, that was a great read. In conclusion, someone who actually thinks and knows what they are talking about. Quite difficult to determine of late, especially on blog sites . I bookmarked your web blog and will make sure to keep returning here if this is how you always post. Thanks, keep it up! .

]]> By: Veronique Greenwood http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/04/29/postage-stamp-satellites-poised-to-begin-mission-to-explore-the-solar-system/#comment-26906 Veronique Greenwood Mon, 02 May 2011 18:46:04 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=28630#comment-26906 @Durant, this is part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/MISSE-8.html NASA's site says that if there's a return vehicle available, they'll bring the pallet of experiments down. If not, it can be discarded, as 80% of the data can be retrieved remotely. But as the experiment isn't going to end until after the last space shuttle run, if it's ever brought down it will have be via another vehicle. @Durant, this is part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/MISSE-8.html NASA’s site says that if there’s a return vehicle available, they’ll bring the pallet of experiments down. If not, it can be discarded, as 80% of the data can be retrieved remotely. But as the experiment isn’t going to end until after the last space shuttle run, if it’s ever brought down it will have be via another vehicle.

]]> By: Mirek Heikkila http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/04/29/postage-stamp-satellites-poised-to-begin-mission-to-explore-the-solar-system/#comment-26905 Mirek Heikkila Mon, 02 May 2011 14:43:15 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=28630#comment-26905 Wow.. i hope this technology will be used responsibly. i already have a sinking feeling when one word pops up in my head... SPAM.... can u imagine thousands of these little guys from who knows from where, countries/people.. Who will own them and can u regulate them? what if another country decides they want to use these for military purposes.. Can u imagine a scenario of countries shooting each others "stamps" in space... Great Article! Wow.. i hope this technology will be used responsibly. i already have a sinking feeling when one word pops up in my head… SPAM…. can u imagine thousands of these little guys from who knows from where, countries/people.. Who will own them and can u regulate them? what if another country decides they want to use these for military purposes.. Can u imagine a scenario of countries shooting each others “stamps” in space…

Great Article!

]]> By: Durant S. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/04/29/postage-stamp-satellites-poised-to-begin-mission-to-explore-the-solar-system/#comment-26904 Durant S. Sat, 30 Apr 2011 15:20:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=28630#comment-26904 " ... and when they are returned to the researchers in several years," ... How will this return be accomplished ? ” … and when they are returned to the researchers in several years,” … How will this return be accomplished ?

]]>