Kentucky Space Blog

Video: Falcon 9 launch, Dragon solar panel deployment

john@emergix.com (Administrator) — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:07:22 +0000

Skip ahead to the 13:35 mark for solar deployment from Dragon and listen to the roar in the background. The capsule is currently slated to dock with the ISS this Friday, May 25 and deliver supplies.

Congratulations to SpaceX on its success so far!

Wayne

NASA "Space Apps Challenge" winners announced

john@emergix.com (Administrator) — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:42:24 +0000

Via @skytland, or Nicholas Skytland, on Twitter, NASA has announced the winners of its Space Apps Challenge code-athon, one of which was the "hyperlocal" citizen science app, Strangedesk. The video is posted here.

Check out Planet Hopper as well. It uses Kepler data to interactively present current information on exoplanets to the non-scientist.

Wayne

Dear National Science Foundation, yes CubeSats can do science

john@emergix.com (Administrator) — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:20:59 +0000

Is the diminutive CubeSat suitable for real science? Of course, says Space Daily:

The future of cubesat projects is only limited by the imagination, researchers believe. The capabilities of cubesat systems are growing at an ever-increasing rate as technological advances are made.

Opportunities are many to accelerate this technology through engineering research in an array of fields, including materials research, 3-D printing, sensor miniaturization, micro-electro-mechanical systems, systems engineering, radio science, communication algorithms and networks.

That quote from Space Daily introduces a workshop on May 24, which will be hosted by the National Science Foundation to further explore the utility of the CubeSat for scientific research and STEM workforce development.

And yes, having delivered a CubeSats to study the X-ray relic radiation from the Big Bang, we think they're ideal for science. It also doesn't hurt that Bob Twiggs teaches just down the road at Morehead State University.

Wayne

Video tour of Vesta's craters

john@emergix.com (Administrator) — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:11:00 +0000

Using mission data from Dawn, JPL has put together this simulated flyover of the proto-planet Vesta. According to the YouTube description, waypoints include Divialia Fossa; Marcia crater, part of the "snowman" feature; and Aricia Tholus.

Enjoy.

Wayne

Firefly: Your DIY Exploration Platform

john@emergix.com (Administrator) — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Psst. Interested in your own DIY exploration platform? An outgrowth of our initial Spacehackers - nee hackerSPACE - series, we're working with Michael Doornbos at EVAdot.com to introduce Firefly, a DIY board for prototyping ideas built around easy to program Arduino compatible hardware and software, and an on-board 70 cm HAM band radio.

You can help us launch Firefly be pre-ordering your very own today!

Kentucky Space is also working to put together another Spacehacker meeting much like the one held in Lexington last fall. Like that meeting you will hear directly from the creator of the CubeSat, Bob Twiggs, on just what kind of things you need to consider when planning your mission to space. And yes, Firefly will be the featured coding platform at the event.

More details on Spacehackers this fall will be available soon!

Wayne

Space, the final (business) frontier

john@emergix.com (Administrator) — Fri, 04 May 2012 21:19:24 +0000

Here is a general audience introduction to the significance of the pending launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule. If successful, the flight will mark the first time the private sector has berthed with the International Space Station. While it sets its sights on destinations further afield, NASA has begun, under its supervision, to turn over low Earth orbit access and egress to business.

Wayne

Shaking the jitters: CubeSat vibration tests

john@emergix.com (Administrator) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:30:01 +0000

Because CubeSats often fly as secondary payloads with much more expensive spacecraft, they undergo a variety of tests ensure that they pose no threat to the larger payload, and to improve their overall chances for a successful mission. The makers of First-MOVE CubeSat have posted a number of videos of their craft undergoing vacuum, shake and other tests, including solar panel deployment.

One of the purposes of the shaker table is to recreate the vibration profile of the rocket taking the CubeSat to orbit. Successful completion of that test can help calm the jitters of the builders on launch day.

The single-unit First-MOVE CubeSat has a CCD camera as a payload and "two deployable solar panels carrying a new generation of solar cell[s]," according to the Southgate Amateur Radio web site.

Wayne

Draft rules released for Nanosat Challenge

john@emergix.com (Administrator) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:17:13 +0000

Space Florida, which is managing the Nanosat Launch Challenge, has released draft rules (PDF) for comment according to Space Prizes. Safe, low-cost, small payload delivery systems for frequent access to Earth orbit are the goals of the challenge. The first non-government team to put small satellites into Earth orbit, twice in one week, will win a prize of $2 million.

Wayne

CubeSat Workshop: Cosmic X-Ray Background Nanosatellite

john@emergix.com (Administrator) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:02:33 +0000

The 9th annual CubeSat Developers' Workshop has made available the presentation on the Cosmic X-Ray Background Nanosatellite, or CXBN. The session begins at around the 2h:40m mark in the cached video. You will need Silverlight to watch.

A two minute film shot during the construction of CXBN may be found on the Kentucky Space YouTube channel.

Wayne

Watch live stream of CubeSat Developers' Workshop

john@emergix.com (Administrator) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:30:10 +0000

You will need Silverlight to watch, but live-streaming of the 9th Annual CubeSat Developers' Workshop will happen here.

Wayne