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Old February 27th 04, 10:33 PM
David Nakamoto
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Default Question About Probes

Well, let's see. No propulsion system so no way to correct it's course,
meaning you'll miss your target by margins that will mean you probably won't
see anything because you'll loat by millions of kilometers away.

No reaction wheels or scan platform so no way to point the camera so no
pictures.

No power source mentioned, so no power if you did get it up there.

No launch system mentioned, which would have to have a lot of sustained
thrust to get it away from an Earth-orbit and into interplanetary space.

No mention of what kind of antenna we're going to use. This is a real
design driver on spacecraft, so simply designing a transmitter/receiver is
only half your problem there. Actually a third or a fourth, because
depending on your choice of antenna, power source, propulsion and pointing
mechanism and its accuracy, these all drive the spacecraft design.

I'll assume we're going to design in radiation-hard circuits and storage
medium to allow for differences in the speed of the camera verses speed of
transmission.

That's the general list. It gets more involved after that.

--- Dave

"BenignVanilla" wrote in message
...
I have been closely following the Mars mission and understand the

importance
of the experiments, but certainly all of that gear ads complexity. Then I
look at the photo's Cassini is sending back and am in awe. So I got to
thinking, what the complexities be, in designing a probe that is just a hi
res camera, and a transmitter/receiver. Considering economy of scale, if

the
device were small and simple, we could product them cheaply and in such
quantities that we could launch them all over the solar system. Let them
wander, take photo's and send them home.

What are we talking in expense? complexity? doablibility?

--
BV.
www.iheartmypond.com