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Can You Help NASA Find Its Missing Nanosatellite?

Posted January 20, 2011 12:11 PM

From Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now:

Space is a big place, and NASA has lost a tiny satellite somewhere up there. Now the space agency is seeking the help of ham radio operators to find their misplaced NanoSail-D, a nanosatellite that was depoyed from NASA's Fast Affordable Science and Technology (FASTSAT) satellite last month. NanoSail-D was supposed to be a technology test-bed for NASA. Not only was it the first successful (maybe) launch of a nanosatellite from a larger autonomous microsatellite in orbit, but NanoSail-D was supposed to deploy a small solar sail boom system that would demonstrate that technologies capabilities. But NASA never heard from NanoSail-D—the tiny orbiter was supposed to check in with mission handlers three days after launching from FASTSAT—and NASA hasn't been able to reach it since. Some have questioned whether it launched from FASTSAT at all. If NanoSail-D is up there trying to phone home, it would be doing so at a frequency of 437.270 MHz. If you've got a ham radio and feel like searching for a needle in a sky-sized haystack, NASA could use your help.

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Anonymous Poster
#1

Re: Can You Help NASA Find Its Missing Nanosatellite?

01/20/2011 12:24 PM

After much consideration I belive that a sucessful detection of this lost satellite should fall under the well-recognized and universal law of "finders keepers".

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#2

Re: Can You Help NASA Find Its Missing Nanosatellite?

01/20/2011 7:33 PM

It's on eBay.

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#3

Re: Can You Help NASA Find Its Missing Nanosatellite?

01/20/2011 8:52 PM
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#4

Re: Can You Help NASA Find Its Missing Nanosatellite?

01/20/2011 11:54 PM

I had something like that show up in my scrap pile one day. I thought it was rather neat looking so I listed it on eBay.

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