KSP Community CubeSat

[Nicholander]

Pffft... Made me laugh... But seriously, do you have anything to say or contribute to our CubeSat?

EDIT: Also, this is the 1,000 reply on our thread!

Edited August 31, 2014 by Nicholander

[LordQ]

I'd be happy to lend some technical help in the future, particularly in the area of structures. Right now, I'm right in the middle of my final semester of aerospace engineering, so things are a bit hectic.

[Nicholander]

Oh, we're glad to have another person on our team!

[astropapi1]

Uh, K^2 will do that, he said that he is busy with something at the moment.

Uh, lets see:

Base/Main Structure

Solar Panels (Probably deployable)

Batteries

Power Distribution

EPS

ADCS

Communications

On-Board Computers

And there's lots of other stuff too... I just looked at the stuff there is one ClydeSpace

Why in hell does a 1U chassis cost 925 dollars?!

[NFUN]

Sorry, any suggestions I may make will be heavily tainted with Dunning-Kruger. Although I do have an idea for making the planning easier and bringing more people on. *COUGH COUGH*firstpost*COUGH*

[LordQ]

Why in hell does a 1U chassis cost 925 dollars?!

I'd guess they don't sell enough chassis (chassi?) that making them on a large scale is worth it. And if they can't make them on a large scale, you won't see economies of scale come into effect.

[Alias72]

That and there are only a handful of competitors. Gouging is always an option.

Edit: ummm, reading back to page 85 no one has mentioned the problem of gas separation. If we have a centrifuge with atmosphere in it and spin it to simulate gravity then we will also force the gases to separate into layers. a proposed solution would be to include a mixer that ensures a turbulent flow of gases inside the pressure compartment.

Edited August 31, 2014 by Alias72
science!

[astropapi1]

I'd guess they don't sell enough chassis (chassi?) that making them on a large scale is worth it. And if they can't make them on a large scale, you won't see economies of scale come into effect.

But still, charging almost a thousand bucks for what's essentially a metal box is an overkill. I know I'm oversimplificating it, but it would be like a small car manufacturer selling their cars at 2000% the production cost because not a lot of people buy their product and they need to keep a steady influx. There's only two possible outcomes:

-They end up becoming a massive company because of gullible people who are willing to pay that price. Yes, I'm talking about Apple.

-They end up becoming bankrupt because of their terrible marketing strategy.

That and there are only a handful of competitors. Gouging is always an option.

Well, I guess that explains it... Cubesats aren't exactly a great business hub at the moment.

[LordQ]

But still, charging almost a thousand bucks for what's essentially a metal box is an overkill. I know I'm oversimplificating it, but it would be like a small car manufacturer selling their cars at 2000% the production cost because not a lot of people buy their product and they need to keep a steady influx. There's only two possible outcomes:

-They end up becoming a massive company because of gullible people who are willing to pay that price. Yes, I'm talking about Apple.

-They end up becoming bankrupt because of their terrible marketing strategy.

Agreed that 925 is way too much. Once we start considering structures, we really should look into manufacturing it ourselves. I have a feeling that the ClydeSpace ones are hand made as well, and someone there values their handiwork a little too much.

Though here's another thought. That unremarkable box may have been analysed to death with finite element analysis (FEA) to check failure stresses, mode shapes and frequencies, and may have even been thermally tested to see if it can survive the thermal cycling you get in space. All that analysis is expensive, in terms of man hours, and in terms of software costs. They're probably trying to amortise those costs over the price of what amounts to an unremarkable box, haha.

[DaveofDefeat]

But still, charging almost a thousand bucks for what's essentially a metal box is an overkill. I know I'm oversimplificating it, but it would be like a small car manufacturer selling their cars at 2000% the production cost because not a lot of people buy their product and they need to keep a steady influx. There's only two possible outcomes:

-They end up becoming a massive company because of gullible people who are willing to pay that price. Yes, I'm talking about Apple.

-They end up becoming bankrupt because of their terrible marketing strategy.

But there are car company's that do that.

[K^2]

Have you seen what they charge for magnetotorquers? Like, $600 for a wire coil. Phht. Anything we can build to tolerance, we will. That will almost certainly include the frame, coils, and the PCB. It bothers me to know that parts we cannot make are similarly overpriced, like solars, but c'est la vie.

[Nicholander]

So, K^2 could you make a list of the parts we can "Home-make" and the parts which we have to buy?

[LvL]

We have to take into consideration that we are spread out around the world, therefore it will be particularly hard for us to use our different strengths and professions to build the cubesat.

- - - Updated - - -

also, happy 500th post nicholander xD

[LvL]

This hardware costs a lot. the frame is dirt cheap compared to them. *sigh* we'll definitely need at least a bit of custom work on the tech if we want a really good chance of reaching a sufficient amount of money for this project. We can't say 'We're launching a cubesat to space! now donate $100,000'.

Edited September 1, 2014 by oarum

[LordQ]

At some point in the future we'll definitely have to pick someone trustworthy who can accumulate the parts. They'll have to be in a good location as well.

And we'll definitely have to be well on the way to finishing, or have finished, the actual first cubesat before we can expect to receive any attention from launch companies, or organisations that might fund us.

[LvL]

we'll definitely have to be well on the way to finishing, or have finished, the actual first cubesat before we can expect to receive any attention from launch companies, or organisations that might fund us.

Then how are we gonna get the money for the cubesat in the first place?

[LordQ]

Then how are we gonna get the money for the cubesat in the first place?

It'll have to come out of our own pocket, or from donations. If we're lucky, we might be able to get some low level funding or sponsorship as well, but it's no sure thing.

[astropapi1]

It'll have to come out of our own pocket, or from donations. If we're lucky, we might be able to get some low level funding or sponsorship as well, but it's no sure thing.

If we can put a couple of visible stickers on the inside of the biological bay, I'm sure some companies would be glad to give us some funding.

Just do it!

[WinkAllKerb'']

Else, 0.000000000000000000000000000000001% now ..... 100% when the time come ... 0% when it's already done.

[Nicholander]

Then how are we gonna get the money for the cubesat in the first place?

KickStarter, isn't it obvious?

[christok]

Sorry I've gone AWOL for a little while. Will get right back on it (work permitting).

[Nicholander]

Ah, It's okay christok! Also, our thread has been de-stickied...

[Aethon]

Unstickied??? What does it all mean??

[Nicholander]

It means it's the end of August.

(AND THE WORLD!!!!!!!!)

[LordQ]

It probably doesn't mean anything other than that there's a new thread of the month.