PocketQube Shop Open for Nanosat Business

PocketQube Shop Open for Nanosat Business
PocketQube Shop, 10 January 2014
http://www.pocketqubeshop.com/

A startup based in Glasgow, Scotland, PocketQube shop wants to get more people building and launching their own satellites. We want to provide a hub for the fledgling class of PocketQube satellites by offering a one stop shop with the largest selection of parts available anywhere. PocketQubes are 5cm cubed spacecraft, proposed by Prof Bob Twiggs of Morehead State University (formerly Stanford). The first 4 PocketQubes made orbit on the 21st of November 2013.

PocketQube Standard
PocketQube.org, 10 January 2014
http://pocketqub.org/standard/

The 1U CubeSat was originally conceived as a cube, 100mm on each side with a mass of 1000g.

The 1Q PocketQub is one eighth of a CubeSat - a cube 50mm / 2 inches on each side with a mass of 125g.

Within the limitations of the format, it is recommended that PocketQubs are designed to meet as many of the CubeSat Design Specifications as is practical.

Microlaunchers: Technology for a New Space Age

Microlaunchers: Technology for a New Space Age
Amazon, 5 January 2014
http://www.amazon.com/Microlaunchers-Technology-Space-Series-Volume/dp/1491281111

I've been involved in writing a book about small launch vehicles over the last year with Charles Pooley. It is now available at Amazon.com.

The book is described there as:

A vision for a new space age based on small launch vehicles. An
introduction to microlaunchers and microlaunchers technology with
a general overview of rocket design and engineering but at a
popular and student level. Written for those who have a basic
understanding of high school algebra and physics.

In writing this, I've tried to make it as educational as possible. For those wanting to learn more about small launch vehicles, this is one of a very small list of books that focus on this subject. There are very few sources that cover these issues together at the price and the readability that I hope this book has.

NASA's LLCD tests confirm laser communication capabilities in space

NASA's LLCD tests confirm laser communication capabilities in space
Gizmag, 26 December 2013
http://www.gizmag.com/llcd-results-ladee-space-laser-communications/30230/

This week, NASA released the results of its Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration’s (LLCD) 30-day test carried out by its Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) that is currently in orbit around the Moon. According to the space agency, the LLCD mission proved that laser communications are practical at a distance of a quarter of a million miles and that such a system could perform as well, if not better, than any NASA radio system.

Boxy CubeSats get a propulsion boost in new space race

Boxy CubeSats get a propulsion boost in new space race
New Scientist, 2 December 2013
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24679-boxy-cubesats-get-a-propulsion-boost-in-new-space-race.html

Instead, Lozano and his colleagues will propel their craft with an unusual substance called an ionic liquid, made solely of positively or negatively charged ions. In the engine, a reservoir of ionic liquid soaks into a porous, metal chip and forms tiny pools in the pores of spikes on its surface. When a small electric field is applied, these pools morph into cones, which amplify the electric field so that it is strong enough to pull away ions in a steady beam (see below).

How One Might Metal Spin a Nozzle
Youtube, 23 December 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekicY_oNE7I

This video shows a skilled metal spinner making a fan inlet cone. The skills appear similar to me to be those used in metal spinning a rocket nozzle and throat. In any case, it demonstrates good skill and careful construction of a nozzle-like structure.

Planetlabs Shows what Small Spacecraft can do

Planet Labs Shows what Small Spacecraft can do
Planetlabs, 29 November 2013
Planet Labs

Planet Labs provides universal access to information about the changing planet. We will operate the world’s largest fleet of Earth imaging satellites to frequently image the entire planet and provide open access to that information.

Check out their fleet of 28 small imaging satellites
Here's one with solar panels extended

Silicon Valley Goes to Space

Silicon Valley Goes to Space
KQED, 18 November 2013
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/video/silicon-valley-goes-to-space/

But now, in the age of cutbacks and federal furloughs, NASA is turning to the private sector to more cheaply get to Low Earth Orbit, a region roughly 100 to 600 miles above earth where the International Space Station is located. From space tourism to plans to mine the moon, dozens of for-profit companies, many with the business models, characters and the high-tech, risk-taking culture of Silicon Valley, are reshaping American space exploration.