Satellite Diaries

A colleague I respect, Peter Ong Lim, has good points about whether the Project Calliope satellite is citizen science or personal science.  Darlene Cavalier gave the definition of 'citizen scientist' as "people who aren't trained in science but help real scientists."  I would define 'personal science' as what you call citizen science if the citizen isn't plugged into an existing science network/channel like SETI or such.You could also call it mad science or individual/small group science projects.  I would put amateur astronomy into the 'personal science' more than 'citizen science'.  You're not helping an established scientist, but doing bonafide research on your own. I'd also put some of the DIY/Maker efforts in that category.

I am launching my Project Calliope picosatellite on an Interorbital Systems (IOS) rocket.  IOS invented the Tubesat format.  What if Interorbital fails-- their rockets all blow up, they run out of money, they decide to do interpretive dance instead of rockets?  Is Calliope dead?

There's a joke "what if schools got fully funded and the military had to run a bake sale to buy their next aircraft carrier?" I'm here to tell you how to run your own Bake Sale for Science!Except, without the baking part. Curious how to fundraise for science? I set about fundraising and, in the process, will share lessons learned. I'll also cover how much a picosatellite costs.For the curious space fan, think about what all the big NASA missions have. Just like Project Calliope, they have rockets and hardware and really cool science. But what they have that I lack is... Mission flight patches! Flight pins! Souvenirs!

Upon launch, there will be 32 picosatellites, all desperately trying to beam their messages to Earth. FCC frequency coordination and requirements are the next hurdle to solve for Project Calliope.Calliope is an amateur mission so we play by amateur radio rules. Calliope is armed with a half-watt Radiometrix transmitter. I already have an FCC-issued amateur HAM radio technican-class license, but that is just the first step.

All space missions end-- some with a whimper, some with a 'fwoosh' of reentry.  For longevity, it's hard to surpass the twin Voyager probes.  They have been flying steadily for almost 30 years (since 1977), have passed the heliopause's termination shock, and are still cruising on momentum and sending back messages using the power equivalent of just 3 light bulbs.

I've been busy with proposal work instead of Calliope.  I have to fund this satellite somehow, and earning money writing corporate proposals is enjoyable work.  Proposal writing is also a strange world. Whether for business, for government, or for grants alike, it's just not quite human.In face to face conversation, a deal is pretty simple.  "I need you to defeat Henry V." 'We can do it-- we just bested the Persian Army.'  "Deal!"  But not so lucky in proposal world.Response to customer Request for Proposal "Conquer England" by Spartans&Co.

Do you live for moments where "you're so absorbed by the task at hand that you lose track of time and place"?  Some call this 'the zone', psychologists call it Flow, and I'll pointlessly coin a acronym, 'SPS' (super productive state).  CSM guest blogger Trent Hamm has some insights on how to flip [your] mental switch and find 'the zone'.  Why flip that switch?"figure out how to get in the zone and do it as often as possible. If you can do that, everything else really is secondary. You will find success."

Wanna go to Mars?  It's a one-way trip, and over 500 people have volunteered already.The Journal of Cosomology-- yes, them again-- became the accidental sign-up agency for us ordinary folk who are willing to take that one-way trip to our neighboring planet.

Who interviewed who?  There's Scopes Monkey Choir-- the podcast interviewing me.  And there's 365 Days of Astronomy-- the podcast where I interview them.  Welcome to an irrational approach to "music in a rational universe".

In 2 weeks I test for my HAM Technician-class amateur radio license. I confess no particular interest in HAM radio. However, my satellite has a transmitter and needs a call sign. It isn't smart enough to take the test itself, so I have to do it for it.To pass the Technician's test, I need to answer 75% of the 35 multiple-choice questions (i.e. 26) correctly. I found 3 sites that had particularly well implemented practice exams (including telling you what you got wrong, and why). Thus unarmed, I took the test cold last night, repeatedly.The 3 test sites of glory: eHam *  RadioExam.org * AA9PW

Full of fear, I nervously packed the first Calliope test build into my carry-on badge and made ready to fly from DC to San Francisco.  Would the TSA (airport security) people allow me to ship a liter-sized array of PCB boards stuck together with PVC separators?This 'Traveling with DIY Electronics' article has good recommendations for international travel, where there exists customs forms and other niceties.  However, I was traveling domestic, and there isn't really a 'this is not a bomb' form I can fill out in advance.

I sat down and started writing a column on Sonification for today, then I realized I'd already written that piece-- several months ago. Whoops.So instead, I've built an index of the Project Calliope columns by topic, so you can read the full story (so far). This index is current as of Dec 6 2010. Consider it the first half of a DIY satellite builder's guide, plus all the framing material you need to work out your own satellite high concept.  Enjoy!Alex, projectCalliope.com, 'Around the world in 48 beats', reporting weekly on building a music/science satellite in his basement for launch in 2011.Underlying Principals