New Era In Space Exploration Taking Off : Entrepreneurs Step In Where Big Government Left Off | Singularity Hub
►http://singularityhub.com/2012/07/26/new-era-in-space-exploration-taking-off-entrepreneurs-step-in-where-
(puisqu’on termine par l’EPFL, ça montre que le titre est faux, mais les infos sont intéressantes)
Just like the rise of electronics hobbyists in the 1970’s and the proliferation of garage manufactured personal computers, the do-it-yourself #DIY movement is now (...) with new ways to affordably spark the commercial space revolution. (...)
PhoneSat is a small (10 cm) cube #satellite project that makes use of smartphones as the central processing unit. With the computing power equivalent to big mainframe computers a couple of decades ago and with a wealth of sensors, cell phones are essentially supercomputers in our pockets – easy to hack and modify to serve many applications and uses. <►http://vr-zone.com/articles/nasa-phonesat-project-to-launch-nexus-one-satellite/15619.html>
Similarly, ArduSat has raised money in #Kickstarter to make available open source platforms using a 1-2 kg cube satellite powered by an Arduino CPU. <►http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/575960623/ardusat-your-arduino-experiment-in-space> (...)
Made in Space is riding on the rise of #3D printing technology as the next disruptive phenomenon in the manufacturing industry. They plan to 3D print in space parts that would otherwise have to be launched from Earth, cutting the cost and wait time for broken systems waiting for parts in space. (Apollo 13 could have used such a 3D printer to fit their square CO2 filter into their round hole.) For interplanetary exploration, this would allow missions to just bring their own 3D printers, and make use of available materials (or even dirt) to manufacture what they need to live and survive once they reach their destinations. <►http://madeinspace.us>
The microthruster program at EPFL in Lausanne is developing a micro engine for nano-satellites that can potentially send a satellite to the moon in six months using two shot glasses worth of fuel.
<►http://news.softpedia.com/news/100-Milliliters-of-Fuel-Are-Enough-to-Reach-the-Moon-263442.shtml>