SparkFun Electronics Commentsurn:uuid:214d0e4e-f1b1-d287-ce26-ac5b4c9f82492024-03-18T19:55:24-06:00SparkFun Electronicsjcholton on Taking the high roadjcholtonurn:uuid:251a1508-0f00-acfe-edb6-f938c918af022014-09-21T14:14:55-06:00<p>Also, our satellite uses a few parts from SparkFun but we actually ended up using a camera from Adafruit (http://www.adafruit.com/products/397). You should carry a small, high definition camera and then people might be more interested in using it for spacecraft.</p>
jcholton on Taking the high roadjcholtonurn:uuid:80f63985-2b31-1cf2-d896-4ac2aff1a0912014-09-21T14:09:40-06:00<p>This is pretty cool! I'm a sophomore in high school and I was invited to join my local CubSsat organization at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It's a lot of fun, and we are scheduled to launch late next year.</p>
TheRegnirps on Taking the high roadTheRegnirpsurn:uuid:27dc536d-2680-5155-629b-5ce036e0b4bb2012-08-31T11:41:05-06:00<p>Scripting in progress. All Rights Reserved, TheRegnirps Group :-)<p>Also a new CMOS camera module, the JPP-ICU2TV (In Memorium. Portion of profits to Seattle Children's Hospital).</p></p>
charcat on Taking the high roadcharcaturn:uuid:35d3fef8-0bf2-4404-2e11-3c4d68150ba12012-08-31T09:36:42-06:00<p>"YIPPEE KI YAY MO" must be silk screened into this board!</p>
Far_Seeker on Taking the high roadFar_Seekerurn:uuid:07e409b7-d87e-3426-ab8a-d2d6115aeb042012-08-31T08:16:51-06:00<p>Getting more people involved will lower costs, if for no other reason than a larger customer base, means increase demand, which leads to more production where economies of scale can reduce the per unit production cost.<p>Regardless, the majority of the cost (at least for spacecraft like Earth orbiting satellites) is related to actually launching it into space. Even those costs have tended to decline during the past several decades as well, they have not and cannot replicate the dramatic decrease in industries like electronics. In this instance physics just hasn't been as generous to us, the absolute minimum energy necessary to get above <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n_line" rel="nofollow">100 km (~62 mi)</a> is about 10 MJ/kg (let me repeat 10 <strong>million</strong> joules per kilogram), and that's not including atmospheric drag or other energy losses. Unless and until we develop launch technology that is at least as effect as chemical rockets while being significantly cheaper, actually launching something into space will always be the biggest hurdle for any completely DIY space mission, even microsats.</p><p>This is why enabling more opportunities for amateur-built hardware to "hitch a ride" on government or commerical launches is such a great thing!</p></p>
PalmTreesandPICs on Taking the high roadPalmTreesandPICsurn:uuid:92a3a9ad-2c1b-0383-4378-e08749e2be6d2012-08-31T06:56:36-06:00<p>So next Friday we can expect to see a new product post of "Space rated" breakout boards?</p>
PalmTreesandPICs on Taking the high roadPalmTreesandPICsurn:uuid:2de71164-14ea-ad86-277c-2ea8f4a387f02012-08-31T06:55:27-06:00<p>I see what you did there.... "a Harduino? Die area 100 times greater".... Bruce would be proud..</p>
TheRegnirps on Taking the high roadTheRegnirpsurn:uuid:f540ad3f-a5f7-57e4-0f5c-174053c4aaa22012-08-31T00:48:50-06:00<p>So, we need a hardened Arduino. An AVR fabbed in old 1 micron design rules is a good start - a Harduino? Die area 100 times greater. Hmmm....they are going to get expensive.<p>Love the MEMs ion engines. Wish the web site said something about thrust.</p></p>
M on Taking the high roadMurn:uuid:994cc2d3-f12b-8029-fbee-a32b2ce7bb112012-08-30T22:59:29-06:00<p>Why yes, in fact, those prices are out of this world (yeah, i meant it). Like Pete said, I'm sure the DIY community could mount a challenge there... That's just silly.<p>In BatchPCB, lets see, circuit board, Check!, Expedited order Check!, oh yes, and Space Hardening Check!</p></p>
Isdale on Taking the high roadIsdaleurn:uuid:54cff0aa-a40a-c5df-f3f8-3e30cf19425d2012-08-30T16:19:39-06:00<p>Great trip report. I shared it with our fellow hackers on <a href="http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram" rel="nofollow">hackerspace space program</a>, which is the mailing list for our <a href="http://spaceGAMBIT.org" rel="nofollow">SpaceGAMBIT</a> organization. GAMBIT = Global Alliance of Makers Building Interstellar Technologies</p>
3boysdad on Taking the high road3boysdadurn:uuid:37b75b22-1fc9-aabe-fed5-36f1b93289212012-08-30T15:40:19-06:00<p>i wish i could do this as a day job rather than babysit code slingers at telecom...positively cool. next year i need take my son who is interested in engineering to this just to bask in the good vibe.<p>and thank you Sparkfun for the information and fun products you provide for me and my boys.</p></p>
Snobbotics on Taking the high roadSnobboticsurn:uuid:a001d536-59d3-60a8-23c4-71f27e5ddc0c2012-08-30T15:33:35-06:00<p>Does anyone else use the high road to remember that in a high pass filter, the capacitor takes "the high road" and the resistor "takes the low road"?</p>
MikeGrusin on Taking the high roadMikeGrusinurn:uuid:b5e81a9f-9bc9-18ab-08de-fac526edb1ce2012-08-30T14:56:56-06:00<p>The same things have been said about the current Google Maps and Earth, which have most certainly been used to plan and carry out criminal activities. But one always has to weigh the negatives against the positives, and there's no doubt that these data products are a huge benefit to the greater good, which will only improve with greater spacial and temporal resolution. To the best of my knowledge, with very few exceptions, there are no legal roadblocks to Google or anyone else pursuing a live Earth-type product, as long as they follow existing personal and federal privacy laws. As long as you can't see people's faces or sensitive military installations, the market is wide open.</p>
Alex the Giant (Former SFE Engineer) on Taking the high roadAlex the Giant (Former SFE Engineer)urn:uuid:a64a2f12-112f-d39e-e282-3bf9cf2bb2e22012-08-30T13:54:56-06:00<p>As a member from one of the schools that was there, Sparkfun has absolutely played a large role in developing our nanosatellite. http://www.facebook.com/UBGLADOS</p>
sgrace on Taking the high roadsgraceurn:uuid:fb34b3a8-952f-22ab-fc19-720fa61422742012-08-30T13:48:48-06:00<p>I think one thing people fail to understand about these conferences is that, organizations like AIAA and IEEE need members to make these conferences popular!<p>A lot of people fail to realize the importance of organizations like AIAA and IEEE and how they benefit people. Think of these organizations like hackerspaces, but with better benefits. And these benefits include insurance, discounted training/learning material, networking with professionals, specialized societies.</p><p>If you are a college graduate in engineering, I STRONGLY recommend you join one of these organizations. As long as you participate and are an active member, you will get a lot out of it. Plus, it looks awesome on your resume.</p></p>
hitman on Taking the high roadhitmanurn:uuid:3f261a9d-0578-1e03-952d-7b713f231fe92012-08-30T13:47:13-06:00<p>Great article. You guys should mention that not only is it difficult to make and build a satellite. But their are a bunch of restrictions to your design, there are satellite that cost billions of dollars up there and to damage one of those would be severe. Another thing is something like live google earth will most likely not happen anytime soon...if at all ever. Think of all the national security that would threaten. Drug dealers and smugglers could easily use this to their advantage as well and that is just the beginning of problems have live overhead can cause. As cool as it sounds and would be this is something that is not happening.</p>
LC on Taking the high roadLCurn:uuid:144fed1d-3bc1-2893-7f1b-5d5810377eeb2012-08-30T13:35:41-06:00<p>You look younger Matt, did you finally get your time machine working? And when I say "finally" I mean in 1985.</p>
mattdamon on Taking the high roadmattdamonurn:uuid:fd66a404-e786-0290-cea0-7c66f63166762012-08-30T13:21:29-06:00<p>Hey that's me!!</p>
scharkalvin on Taking the high roadscharkalvinurn:uuid:be0d60a3-a5b5-c19c-b6c5-f6b71180a7852012-08-30T13:13:44-06:00<p>Ride sharing has a LONG history. Maybe one of the very first amateur satellites to go up this way was the ARRL/AMSAT OSCAR-I in 1961. There have been MANY OSCAR satellites launched since then, most functioning as amateur radio repeaters, but some had scientific instrumentation on board as well. A few went into semi-geosyncronous orbits.<p>(Still)One of the best 'space-rated' microprocessors is the COS-MAC 1802 series which are built on a CMOS Silicon on sapphire technology that natively rad-hardened.</p></p>
ccdengr on Taking the high roadccdengrurn:uuid:aa9fcb81-bef4-0b98-0f19-99583ed020762012-08-30T13:03:56-06:00<p>Not a flight application, but there are Sparkfun Arduinos and Easydrivers in the Mastcam engineering models on the MSL/Curiosity Mars rover
<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/multimedia/pia15025.html" rel="nofollow">Vehicle System Testbed</a></p>
TheRegnirps on Taking the high roadTheRegnirpsurn:uuid:17204cd2-63d5-68f3-a694-a8b2e49775112012-08-30T11:58:13-06:00<p>This looks like a very cool conference! It is going on my calender for next year!<p>One thing caught my attention. Why would developing countries need sats when the best data and imaging, synthetic aperture RADAR, multi-spectral mapping, polar ice dynamics, weather, Solar flare monitoring, the works, is free from the US?</p><p>I used to attend similar things in the 70's when NASA had a lot of us convinced we would have jobs on the Moon or in big space stations by the time we were 35. The abandoning of Skylab, the ludicrous final design of the Space Shuttle (compared to original proposals), the refusal to carry external tanks to LEO fitted for conversion to habitat - it ain't a pretty picture. Looks like it is going to take private efforts and hopefully not too distant. (One Chinese Lunar habitat with a 50 cal or a rail gun and they own the Moon. Just being realistic.)</p><p>There were standard excuses for not taking external shuttle tanks to LEO even though it didn't cost anything. But they just didn't want to deal with demands that they do something useful with them. Given the cost to get mass into orbit it seems downright criminal.</p><p>I'm a convert to what is called BDB - Big Dumb Boosters - if you want to get anything done, and the private efforts are evolving in that direction.</p><p>There is a saying on the street about Three Card Monty. If you don't know who the mark is, you're the mark. I'm more cynical these days. Could this be a Soap Box Derby of space enthusiasts with bigger budgets?</p><p>Given the history if disappointments, it is still an exciting prospect. I have notebooks full of propulsion and habitat ideas. In fact, there is something I should write up, and no time like the present - where are those notes .......</p></p>
Far_Seeker on Taking the high roadFar_Seekerurn:uuid:63899610-ae10-f6d2-16f5-87006faec9902012-08-30T11:44:46-06:00<p>As someone that co-oped at NASA while getting my EE Bachelor's degree, I think it's great to see some of the smaller programs and initiatives they get recognition. Most people only know about large projects like the Mars Rovers or the ISS, if anything.:/ However, there's a lot more that NASA does every day; CSLI, launch and flight opportunities, and all the <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/index.html" rel="nofollow">aeronautics</a> work deserve much greater noteriety even though they lack the "Wow" factor the media likes so much.</p>
engrstephens on Taking the high roadengrstephensurn:uuid:ce618213-df0e-4ff6-ef62-3edce54b05f52012-08-30T11:11:06-06:00<p>Your parts took a ride to space last summer :) Note your accelerometer post flight!<p>https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=214173495295626&set=pb.181807745198868.-2207520000.1346346514&type=1&theater</p><p>Preflight
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=210565282323114&set=a.210565205656455.50725.181807745198868&type=3&theater</p></p>