2015年11月5日 星期四

Want a Personal Satellite? CubeSat is a Good Choice !

    


    Do you want a satellite of your own? Are you eager to point at a glowing ball in the sky and shout " That is my satellite!" ? Today, it is possible to fulfill your dream because of "CubeSat". So, what is a CubeSat?  CubeSat is a mini cube-shaped satellite, size 10*10*10 cm^3, and weight 1-2kg. CubeSat originated from Stanford. At that time, the teacher wanted students to practice problem-solving skills by doing a complete engineering project---to imitate the first satellite "Sputnick" . Since then, CubeSat has prospered .

   What can a CubeSat do? Its functions vary from photographing, observations , scientific measurements to communicating. Because CubeSat is in Low Earth Orbit, it is easy to capture the most beautiful scene of Earth. For example, the aurora (極光) . If you are a lover of astronomy, you can also choose your target and observe it every day. If you are interested in business, you can monitor some human activities by collecting big data and then make a better decision based on your data. If you are fond of atmospheric science, by placing certain sensors on the satellite, you can measure the temperature and density of some particles in Ionosphere(電離層) . Besides amateur use , it will also appear in a NASA's project on Mars in 2016.




    CubeSat is actually a trend , meaning the populace get involved in space. The universe is not scientists and astronomers' exclusive world anymore, it is a great treasure that everyone shares!

    This is someone's handmade CubeSat.


  Here is a video from Discovery News.



3 則留言:

  1. Wow, I think it is really cool to have a satellite of mine. However, doesn't it easily pollute the outer space and become one of the massive space junk?

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  2. Never imagined "my own satellite" before, what a revolutionary invention!
    Even satellites can be personalized.

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