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Welcome to HobbySpace. the site that will prove to you that everyone can participate in space exploration and development in one way or another.
January 2011
Recent Blog Postings
HobbySpace Log:
RLV & Space Transport News:
Recent Features
NewSpace 2010 (Bigelow Aerosspace space  station )
NewSpace 2010 Review
A report on the annual Space Frontier Foundation's conference, held this year in Sunnyvale, California. Topics of discussion ranged from entrepreneurial space businesses to lunar miing to fully reusable suborbital space vehicles.
Space Access 10 Conference review
Space Access '10 Review
A report on the Space Access Society's annual conference in Phoenix, AZ. The latest updates on low cost launch systems.
Coverage of first Falcon 9 launch
1st SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Resources
Links to blog posts, pictures, videos and commentary about the successful first launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
New Space Log 2010
New Space Log 2010
This section holds links to blog posts, articles, pictures, etc. about events and developments this year in New Space.


More Interviews, Articles, and Special Topics.
Space Art Spotlight

Going Home # 2 by Ed Hengeveld
Going Home #2

Wally, Are You A Turtle Now? by Ed Hengeveld
Wally, Are You A Turtle Now?

Discovering Descartes by Ed Hengeveld
Discovering Descartes
In Geologist's Paradise by Ed Hengeveld
In Geologist's Paradise
Landing At Hadley by Ed Hengeveld
Landing At Hadley
Landing At Hadley by Ed Hengeveld
Landing At Hadley


Ed Hengeveld
More space art...
Space Music Video of the Month
Constant Reminder
Music by League of Space Pirates
Previous space music in spotlight
Space Hobbies & Activities in the Spotlight
Receive Satellite Transmissions with the FUNcubeDongle
The AMSAT-UK FUNcube is "an educational single cubesat project with the goal of enthusing and educating young people about radio, space, physics and electronics." They are targeting primary and secondary school pupils.

A great spinoff project from FUNcube is the FUNcubeDongle Software Defined Radio. This small device connects to the USB port of your PC and turns your computer into a powerful satellite receiving station. You just need to add an antenna and you can receive signals directly from satellites passing over your location. From the FUNcubeDongle website,

Similar to a USB TV Dongle, the FUNcube Dongle simple fits into your computer’s USB port. It’s compatible with many radio reception programs like Rocky, M0KGK, Spectravue and LinRad. The FUNcube Dongle also works with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 both x86 and x64. In addition, it is compatible with Linux and MacOS as it uses standard USB drivers already integrated into the operating system.

There are two versions. The entry level FUNcube Dongle gives access to the satellite frequency band that FUNcube and some other satellites use. The Pro version gives unlimited access to the frequency range 64 to 1,700MHz.

It’s also all-mode: this means that it’s not just limited to narrow band FM reception. As well as data, the FUNcube Dongle will also recieve many other narrow band signals including AM, FM and SSB. It will even receive TV sound channels!

The video below displays the basics of the device, which can be ordered here from the FUNcube group (UK price is £122 or $188.00).

Find more about home satellite reception here.

It's a Whole New Outer Space Out There

Successful Flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon

On December 8th, SpaceX became the first private company, and only the fourth organization outside of the space agencies in the US, Russian, and China, to launch a pressurized space capsule to orbit and return it to earth for a safe recovery. The mission was a stunning success and marked a major milestone accomplishment for commercial spaceflight.

Links to articles, commentary, photos and videos concerning the flight can be found here in the NewSpace 2010 Log.

Highlights of the successful flight of Falcon 9 with the Dragon capsule on December 8th, 2010.
Via SpaceX videos

The mission, partially funded by NASA, was the first of up to three flights to prove that the system is capable of safely delivering cargo to the International Space Station. Once proven, SpaceX will begin routine deliveries to the ISS.

The system was developed with a combination of private and government funding. NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation System (COTS) program provided funding of about $280M on a fixed-price basis. (Orbital Sciences is also participating in the COTS program.) The money was only paid in increments as SpaceX met each of a series of milestones. The cost was a small fraction of typical NASA rocket programs.

The Dragon is also capable of carrying human passengers. A launch escape system must be added but otherwise the capsule is essentially ready for passenger travel.

In 2010 the Obama Administration proposed that NASA sponsor a competition among commercial firms to provide transportation services for delivering crews to the ISS. The Space Shuttle program will end this year and NASA will then be dependent on the Russian Soyuz for getting its astronauts to the ISS. Congress has authorized initial funding for the commercial crew program (currently the 2011 budget has not yet been appropriated). Several companies plan to enter the competition.

SpaceX believes it can offer crew transportation within three years from the start of initial funding. They will need $300M for development of the launch escape system and then funding for the test flights that NASA will require before allowing its astronauts to fly aboard the system.



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See the archive of previous HobbySpace homepage Spotlight items ...
December 10 - February 11

HobbySpace provides over 15,000 space links and
has delivered over
40,000,000 page views since
January 1999.

The Art of C. Sergent Lindsey

 
 
 
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