NEOSSat - Suitcase sized asteroid hunter

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a_lost_packet_

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<p><font face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="3" color="#1b4872"><strong>Small Satellite Designed to Spot Big Bad Asteroids </strong></font></p><p><font><font><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial"><p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">A tiny Canadian satellite is gearing up for a mission to hunt wayward space rocks that may pose a threat to Earth.</span></em></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">Only the size of a suitcase, the Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite (NEOSSat) has a 5.9-inch (15-cm) telescope and weighs about 143 pounds (65 kg). But it&rsquo;s designed to hunt for threatening space rocks from Earth orbit, where the telescope can avoid interference from the planet&rsquo;s atmosphere.</span></em></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">&ldquo;That&rsquo;s why a small telescope in space can be a lot more comparable to a large telescope on the ground,&rdquo; said Alan Hildebrand, planetary scientist at the University of Calgary and head of the asteroid search project for NEOSSat.</span></em></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">The Canadian microsatellite would also keep an eye on Earth&rsquo;s satellite traffic for both U.S. and Canadian space commands, swiveling around to target space rocks and satellites hundreds of times a day. That requires a revolutionary turning system for the $12 million-satellite to do its job upon launch in early 2010.</span></em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em>...</em><font><font><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial"><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'"><em>But the newer microsatellite also boasts <u>an attitude control system based on spinning reaction wheels</u> that allow it to turn quickly without consuming rocket fuel....</em> (Emphasis added)&nbsp;</span></font></font></font></font></p><p class="MsoNormal">Does anyone have any detailed information on NEOSSat's attitude control system?&nbsp; I would really like to see something more in depth than what I could find after an, admittedly, hasty search.&nbsp; I couldn't find anything on it on the NEOSSat website (brand new site, apparently) and had trouble finding information on Dynacon. </p></font></font></font></font> </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>
 
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MeteorWayne

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Small Satellite Designed to Spot Big Bad Asteroids A tiny Canadian satellite is gearing up for a mission to hunt wayward space rocks that may pose a threat to Earth. Only the size of a suitcase, the Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite (NEOSSat) has a 5.9-inch (15-cm) telescope and weighs about 143 pounds (65 kg). But it&rsquo;s designed to hunt for threatening space rocks from Earth orbit, where the telescope can avoid interference from the planet&rsquo;s atmosphere. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why a small telescope in space can be a lot more comparable to a large telescope on the ground,&rdquo; said Alan Hildebrand, planetary scientist at the University of Calgary and head of the asteroid search project for NEOSSat. The Canadian microsatellite would also keep an eye on Earth&rsquo;s satellite traffic for both U.S. and Canadian space commands, swiveling around to target space rocks and satellites hundreds of times a day. That requires a revolutionary turning system for the $12 million-satellite to do its job upon launch in early 2010....But the newer microsatellite also boasts an attitude control system based on spinning reaction wheels that allow it to turn quickly without consuming rocket fuel.... (Emphasis added)&nbsp;Does anyone have any detailed information on NEOSSat's attitude control system?&nbsp; I would really like to see something more in depth than what I could find after an, admittedly, hasty search.&nbsp; I couldn't find anything on it on the NEOSSat website (brand new site, apparently) and had trouble finding information on Dynacon. <br />Posted by a_lost_packet_</DIV><br /><br />Interesting. Reaction wheels arer highly efficient, and since they spin up from electricity (just as the ones on the ISS) they require no propellant. I imagine on a satellite that small, it would be quite nimble!</p><p>PS, yeah, lots of dead links trying to research that!</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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a_lost_packet_

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Interesting. Reaction wheels arer highly efficient, and since they spin up from electricity (just as the ones on the ISS) they require no propellant. I imagine on a satellite that small, it would be quite nimble!PS, yeah, lots of dead links trying to research that! Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV></p><p>Yeah, I ran around for a short while trying to get some info on Dynacon's attitude control system for this bird but couldn't get much.</p><p>This little bundle of joy is designed for pinpoint control and possible hundred(s) of significant adjustments a day?&nbsp; That's pretty darn cool in my book. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>
 
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annodomini2

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<p>Built a single axis unit for my final year project at uni, really simple things. Although when you get to 3 axis the complexity obviously goes up.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Now if someone could come up with an electric orbit control system that would be interesting.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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aphh

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><font><font><font face="arial" size="2"><font face="arial"><em><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">The Canadian microsatellite would also keep an eye on Earth&rsquo;s satellite traffic for both U.S. and Canadian space commands, swiveling around to target space rocks and satellites hundreds of times a day.</span></em></font></font></font></font><br /> Posted by a_lost_packet_</DIV></p><p>That satellite will also see UFO's, if they exist. It's obviously tracking unlisted satellites of foreign powers. A reconnaissance orbiter for reconnaissance orbiters... ;)&nbsp;</p>
 
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MeteorWayne

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Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>That satellite will also see UFO's, if they exist. It's obviously tracking unlisted satellites of foreign powers. A reconnaissance orbiter for reconnaissance orbiters... ;)&nbsp; <br />Posted by aphh</DIV><br /><br />And if it doesn't see them, can we put this UFO balony to rest? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>
 
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3488

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><font color="#ff0000">And if it doesn't see them, can we put this UFO balony to rest? <br /> Posted by MeteorWayne</font></DIV></p><p><font size="2"><strong>I second that Wayne. <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/15/3/2f403786-b664-4a49-93cf-407204b1f024.Medium.gif" alt="" /><br /> <br />Andrew Brown. </strong></font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>
 
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aphh

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>And if it doesn't see them, can we put this UFO balony to rest? <br /> Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV></p><p>Every astronomer wants to see a UFO. That satellite is built to track items orbiting the earth. I'm sure tracking unlisted satellites is top priority, but the builders of the satellite wouldn't mind seeing a UFO.</p><p>When I ogle the night sky with binoculars, I can see hundreds if not thousands of stars with just one glance. Corot has examined fifty thousand stars, and even that is only the beginning.</p><p>When our sensors get progressively more sophisticated, who knows what we'll see one day. We wouldn't be building more powerful sensors, unless we also wanted to see something out of this world.&nbsp;</p><p>Humans want to connect with the universe. It's natural. That desire may be printed on our genome for a reason <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-wink.gif" border="0" alt="Wink" title="Wink" /> </p>
 
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danhezee

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Every astronomer wants to see a UFO. That satellite is built to track items orbiting the earth. I'm sure tracking unlisted satellites is top priority, but the builders of the satellite wouldn't mind seeing a UFO.When I ogle the night sky with binoculars, I can see hundreds if not thousands of stars with just one glance. Corot has examined fifty thousand stars, and even that is only the beginning.When our sensors get progressively more sophisticated, who knows what we'll see one day. We wouldn't be building more powerful sensors, unless we also wanted to see something out of this world.&nbsp;Humans want to connect with the universe. It's natural. That desire may be printed on our genome for a reason <br /> Posted by aphh</DIV></p><p><font size="2">ROFLMAO</font><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" /><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" /><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" /><img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" /> </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
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aphh

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<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>ROFLMAO <br /> Posted by danhezee</DIV></p><p>I could write stuff and appear convincing, when I wanted to. Good thing I have high moral standards... <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-wink.gif" border="0" alt="Wink" title="Wink" /></p><p>Edit: I think I should be a reporter rather than astronomy student.&nbsp;</p>
 
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