THE SCIENCE OF MICROSATELLITES
Editor's Note: John F. ('16) wrote a short paper on the
science of micro satellites, a topic he finds very interesting. During his research, he was surprised to find that the future of satellite technology is completely different from what he had
thought before.
Satellites are awesome, we can all agree on that. They allow us to dive into the depths of an unknown entity that surrounds us on all sides. They capture images of events we can only dream of being able to see with our own eyes. They give us insight into a world of darkness that has so much to explore and understand that we will most likely never truly know everything about it. Without satellites, we would have no understanding of how our own Universe works. Thanks satellites!
Back in September, a historical event for science (and really for our species as a whole) occurred when Voyager 1 was confirmed to have left the solar system. Wow. Just wow. It took thirty-six years for this to happen, and in that time, the spacecraft has become entirely obsolete. As New York Times writer Brooks Barnes wrote: “By today’s standards, the spacecraft’s technology is laughable: it carries an 8-track tape recorder and computers with one-240,000th the memory of a low-end iPhone.” It’s insane to think that a spacecraft with such “laughable” technology has surpassed any current spacecraft and gone out of the solar system. Now 11.7 billion miles from Earth, Voyager 1, which was taking photos of Jupiter and Saturn back in its day, may allow us to discover things in the farthest reaches of the Universe.
My peer Nomy was fascinated about the fact that what we considered back in the day of Voyager 1 to be “modern,” is now completely obsolete. And in twenty years, what technology we have today will be considered “laughable.” This led me to become curious about what we have planned for the future of satellite technology.
The interesting thing I discovered was that we aren’t making bigger satellites, we’re making smaller ones. As The New Atlantis says: “a new breed of small, highly mobile satellites geared for non-military use is hitting the scene. These ‘microsatellites,’ in some cases weighing less than 50 pounds each (larger satellites weigh thousands of pounds), offer greater flexibility and control, and can dramatically reduce the costs of simple overflight and reconnaissance tasks.” So instead of focusing on greater technology in these satellites, they are focusing on making them more cost efficient, allowing humans to shoot them out in all different directions, covering more space in the Universe.
This is totally different tactic than what I had anticipated. I actually had no idea that this is the future of satellites. Before learning this, I imagined massive satellites being shot into space to uncover its truths. But I now understand that we are taking a much different approach to space exploration with satellites. The construction of astronomical technology is not cheap in any way, and creating a giant, futuristic satellite you would expect to see in Star Trek would be insanely expensive for a single country. Maybe some countries could work together to reduce costs, but it would still be a pain. So what we’ve decided to do as a planet is to all focus on the idea of microsatellites.
When it comes to the exploration of space, we seem to be teaming up. In a world of warfare and hatred, we seem to at least be able to explore the final frontier as a team. As Satellite Today writes: “Small satellites, however, are bringing about major changes to this world order, as an increasing number of developing countries are entering the space sector.” While it makes me happy to know that countries around the world are working together to make cost-efficient satellites so that we can explore more of the Universe, it still makes me sad that I won’t be seeing a jaw dropping, football field sized, mega ultra satellite anytime soon. However, that can wait. Let’s explore space!
Back in September, a historical event for science (and really for our species as a whole) occurred when Voyager 1 was confirmed to have left the solar system. Wow. Just wow. It took thirty-six years for this to happen, and in that time, the spacecraft has become entirely obsolete. As New York Times writer Brooks Barnes wrote: “By today’s standards, the spacecraft’s technology is laughable: it carries an 8-track tape recorder and computers with one-240,000th the memory of a low-end iPhone.” It’s insane to think that a spacecraft with such “laughable” technology has surpassed any current spacecraft and gone out of the solar system. Now 11.7 billion miles from Earth, Voyager 1, which was taking photos of Jupiter and Saturn back in its day, may allow us to discover things in the farthest reaches of the Universe.
My peer Nomy was fascinated about the fact that what we considered back in the day of Voyager 1 to be “modern,” is now completely obsolete. And in twenty years, what technology we have today will be considered “laughable.” This led me to become curious about what we have planned for the future of satellite technology.
The interesting thing I discovered was that we aren’t making bigger satellites, we’re making smaller ones. As The New Atlantis says: “a new breed of small, highly mobile satellites geared for non-military use is hitting the scene. These ‘microsatellites,’ in some cases weighing less than 50 pounds each (larger satellites weigh thousands of pounds), offer greater flexibility and control, and can dramatically reduce the costs of simple overflight and reconnaissance tasks.” So instead of focusing on greater technology in these satellites, they are focusing on making them more cost efficient, allowing humans to shoot them out in all different directions, covering more space in the Universe.
This is totally different tactic than what I had anticipated. I actually had no idea that this is the future of satellites. Before learning this, I imagined massive satellites being shot into space to uncover its truths. But I now understand that we are taking a much different approach to space exploration with satellites. The construction of astronomical technology is not cheap in any way, and creating a giant, futuristic satellite you would expect to see in Star Trek would be insanely expensive for a single country. Maybe some countries could work together to reduce costs, but it would still be a pain. So what we’ve decided to do as a planet is to all focus on the idea of microsatellites.
When it comes to the exploration of space, we seem to be teaming up. In a world of warfare and hatred, we seem to at least be able to explore the final frontier as a team. As Satellite Today writes: “Small satellites, however, are bringing about major changes to this world order, as an increasing number of developing countries are entering the space sector.” While it makes me happy to know that countries around the world are working together to make cost-efficient satellites so that we can explore more of the Universe, it still makes me sad that I won’t be seeing a jaw dropping, football field sized, mega ultra satellite anytime soon. However, that can wait. Let’s explore space!
Barnes, B. (2013, September 12). In a Breathtaking First, NASA’s Voyager 1 Exits the Solar System. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/science/in-a-breathtaking-first-nasa-craft-exits-the-solar-
system.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
The Future of Satellites - The New Atlantis. (2003). Retrieved from http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-
future-of-satellites
Verlini, G. (2011, August 1). The Bright Future of Small Satellite Technology. Retrieved from
http://www.satellitetoday.com/publications/via-satellite-magazine/features/2011/08/01/the-bright-future-of-
small-satellite-technology/
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/science/in-a-breathtaking-first-nasa-craft-exits-the-solar-
system.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
The Future of Satellites - The New Atlantis. (2003). Retrieved from http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-
future-of-satellites
Verlini, G. (2011, August 1). The Bright Future of Small Satellite Technology. Retrieved from
http://www.satellitetoday.com/publications/via-satellite-magazine/features/2011/08/01/the-bright-future-of-
small-satellite-technology/
