Nov 25
This might look like the start of a scene from Gravity, but you’re actually looking at three nanosatellites—known as Cubesats—which have just been released in space.
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Nov 21
Watch the International Space Station’s cannon in action for the first time. It’s name is J-SSOD and it’s attached to the Japanese module Kibo. But wait, you say, what happened to the no weapons in space thing? Is this Death Star Alpha?
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Nov 19
Your coolest high school science project probably involved some baking soda and a paper mâché volcano, right? A little chemical reaction and a big mess? Well, kids these days are smarter than you. They’re building satellites and sending them to space.
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Sep 10
There’s a small army of adorable
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Oct 05
The World’s Most Adorable Satellites Can Fit in the Palm of Your Hand [Image Cache]
Posted in: Today's Chili
You don’t need to be big to be impressive. This trio of tiny cubesats launched from the International Space Station yesterday, and looked totally badass floating out in the infinite ether. More »
Aug 25
On the surface of Earth, smartphones play a big part in our every day life. As it turns out, there’s a lot they can do in orbit as well. That’s why NASA has been developing tiny satellites that have Android phones for brains. More »
Aug 18
Rockets might be fiery fun, but they’re big, bulky, and heavy. Ion thrusters, sci-fi as they sound, are real and these penny-sized ones are probably the future of steering small satellites in orbit. More »
Aug 18
MIT ‘microthrusters’ are the size of a penny, could reposition tiny satellites
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Bus-sized satellites require massive engines for even the slightest movements, but as far smaller structures become a possibility, a tiny driving mechanism can offer usable thrust. To serve this next-gen tech, MIT saw a need to develop “microthrusters,” which are each the size of a penny and can be mounted to tiny cubed satellites. With thruster components measuring a few microns each, the magnetic levitation system is able to accommodate 500 microscopic tips that emit ion beams in a very small package, serving to push two-pound structures through space. The tiny devices have not made their way into orbit yet, but they have been tested in a vacuum chamber. Because of their size, it’s possible to add several to each satellite, then enabling sophisticated movements for more precise turns.
There are currently two dozen “CubeSats” in orbit, each measuring only slightly larger than a Rubik’s cube, but without any thrusters to power them, positioning can’t be adjusted once they’re released. Because of their current location, CubeSats eventually burn up in the atmosphere, but once they’re released farther from Earth, they won’t be able to enter the atmosphere on their own, remaining in orbit as “space junk” even after completing their missions — micro thrusters could also serve to move these satellites closer to the planet so they can burn up during re-entry. There’s no word on when, or even if, MIT’s invention will make its way to the launchpad, but you can take a closer look in the demo video after the break.
Continue reading MIT ‘microthrusters’ are the size of a penny, could reposition tiny satellites
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MIT ‘microthrusters’ are the size of a penny, could reposition tiny satellites originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Aug 2012 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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