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Dumpshock Forums _ Shadowrun _ Personal Satellites
Posted by: FlakJacket Nov 1 2009, 02:12 AM
QUOTE
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6890458.ece
Microtrends: Personal satellites
The space race just got personal. Satellites were previously the preserve of governments, corporations and media moguls. Now you can have your very own. For just $8,000 (£4,800).
- Interorbital Systems has launched a product called TubeSat – essentially a cylindrical shell and DIY kit for you to build your own satellite. You can shove anything you want into it, as long as it meets mass and volume restrictions. Then, send it back to the company, which will rocket it into space. The TubeSat enjoys a low orbit for a few weeks before incinerating.
- Why would you want one? You could equip it with cameras to track things on the planet. You could conduct biological experiments. If your inbox is getting clogged up, you could create your own e-mail server. And if a loved one’s always wanted to live among the stars, their ashes could circle the globe before exploding into space for ever more.
Microtrends: Personal satellites
The space race just got personal. Satellites were previously the preserve of governments, corporations and media moguls. Now you can have your very own. For just $8,000 (£4,800).
- Interorbital Systems has launched a product called TubeSat – essentially a cylindrical shell and DIY kit for you to build your own satellite. You can shove anything you want into it, as long as it meets mass and volume restrictions. Then, send it back to the company, which will rocket it into space. The TubeSat enjoys a low orbit for a few weeks before incinerating.
- Why would you want one? You could equip it with cameras to track things on the planet. You could conduct biological experiments. If your inbox is getting clogged up, you could create your own e-mail server. And if a loved one’s always wanted to live among the stars, their ashes could circle the globe before exploding into space for ever more.
http://www.interorbital.com and the http://www.interorbital.com/TubeSat_1.htm. Now granted things like solar powered drones, zeppelins, or blimps can used as a cheap method of lofting something fairly high up and keeping it there but this still gives you some very interesting opportunities. Besides which it's just freaking cool.
And with the advances in things like materials by the 2050s and later the capability will probably have improved by then. So what sort of ideas can people come up with to use something like this in a Shadowrun game?
Posted by: Saint Sithney Nov 1 2009, 04:16 AM
Anything you want into it, as long as it meets mass and volume restrictions?
I doubt that v much.
Posted by: Ravor Nov 1 2009, 04:01 PM
Personally I'd be more concerned about the decaying orbit.
Posted by: Tymeaus Jalynsfein Nov 1 2009, 07:30 PM
QUOTE (Ravor @ Nov 1 2009, 09:01 AM) 
Personally I'd be more concerned about the decaying orbit.
Something of a moderate size, or smaller, would probably just decay to nothing during Re-entry... But then again, maybe not... there were still some significantly small peices of the Shuttle that was destroyed during re-entry a few years back...
Keep the Faith
Posted by: Ravor Nov 2 2009, 05:37 AM
Aye, but what bothers me is the fact that they want me to spend $8,000 for something that is only going to last a couple of weeks, seems like a very poor investment. 
Posted by: Saint Sithney Nov 2 2009, 06:33 AM
Not if what you're sending up involves a targeting system and a cluster of tungsten rods...
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