Digest Number 383

> Date: Mon, 17 Jun 2002 12:14:38 -0400
>
> Hi All,
>
> This has to be about the best dialogue i've heard here since October.
> It would be great if we could narrow cost estimates to a factor of x2
> for simple nanosatellite/picosatellite imaging/impact
> missions to NEOs.
> If anyone wants to simulate the orbital dynamics, I give a reference
> to an open source astrodynamics integrator in a recent CCNet
> contribution,
> which begins at the bottom of:
> http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/cc041802.html
>
> Let's keep it up!

We came up with ASAP-compatible sciencecraft buses which can be commercially
purchased for less - sometimes a lot less - that US$10m; free instruments
(there are labs around the worls with technology budgets begging for
spacecraft to fly them on); & a number of inexpensive kick stages. Building
the sciencecraft yourself reduces the cost further; & bear in mind, e2 ended
up more sophisticated than some of the concepts i have mentioned earlier -
ballistic bricks with video-cameras on the front are startlingly cheap. Ops
& navs was something of a deal-breaker, though - there are no really cost
effective alternatives out there. Anyone work for am ambitious university
interested in setting up up a miniDSN with JPL? Cheap ops & nav with data
return facility would really change the numbers for universities,
corporations - & yes: even AMSat groups - trying to open up space.

Live in peace
Robert.Clements@...
endeavour2 project http://www.geocities.com/robtclements/endeavour2.html>