scie nce ne wsf o rkids.

o rg

http://www.sciencenewsfo rkids.o rg/2013/03/supertiny-satellites-launched/

Supertiny satellites launched

By Sid Perkins / March 6, 2013 You dont need a big satellite to do big science. Smaller satellites can cost less to make. So even small research teams can rather inexpensively rocket their instruments into orbit. One group has just launched tiny telescopes this way to study stars. T he Hubble Space Telescope may be the most well-known instrument orbiting Earth today. It is also huge. At 13.2 meters long, its about the length of a school bus. And at more than 11 metric tons, it weighs about 50 percent more than an

Co rd e ll G rant, an ae ro s p ac e e ng ine e r at the Unive rs ity o f To ro nto in Canad a, as s e mb le s o ne o f his te ams nano s ate llite s . The s e are the s malle s t s p ac e te le s c o p e s e ve r s e nt into Earth o rb it. Cre d it: J o hanne s Hirn (Dunlap Ins titute fo r As tro no my & As tro p hys ic s , Unive rs ity o f To ro nto )

elephant! Its so big and heavy that it had to be carried into orbit by the space shuttle Discovery in 1990. T he Hubble Space Telescope makes beautif ul pictures and can see to the edges of our universe, but it is also very expensive. By some estimates, it has taken about $10 billion to design, build, launch, maintain and operate this telescope. Explainer Understanding electromagnetic radiation Because Hubble orbits high above Earths atmosphere, the telescope can see objects in wavelengths of light normally blocked by air. More importantly, it can make observations at any time of day or night. But even with a round-the-clock schedule, theres not enough time available f or all the scientists who would like to sign up to use this telescope, says Cordell Grant. Hes an aerospace engineer at the University of Toronto in Canada. So, Grant and his coworkers have joined the ranks of scientists designing their own satellites. T hese craf t can be much smaller than typical satellites, says Grant. Depending on the instruments size,

researchers call these micro- or nanosatellites. (Taken f rom the Greek language, micro means small and nano means dwarf . In the metric system, micro means one-millionth and nano means onebillionth. T hough these satellites arent microscopic, they are miniature, the smallest being roughly the size of a volleyball.) Because these spacecraf t tend to use simpler sensors than those on typical satellites, these tiny satellites can be relatively inexpensive to build, outf it and launch, says Grant. For instance, the nanosatellites that Grant and his team recently designed were built to do one simple thing: observe some of the brightest stars in the sky. T heyll measure the stars brightness within very narrow ranges of wavelengths of light. T hese measurements of brightness and color of f er clues to a stars size, distance and age. By repeating those measurements over two years or more, astronomers can detect short- and long-term changes in a stars brightness. T hat could help researchers identif y spots on a star, which, similar to our parent stars sunspots, might indicate concentrated magnetic activity. It could even help scientists discover when something passes in f ront of a star, temporarily blocking its light. T hats how astronomers identif y some distant exoplanets. Previous mini-satellites were launched to show that certain types of components or observation techniques would work well in space. T he new teams nanosatellites, by contrast, are designed to do real work. T his isnt just an educational exercise, says Grant. And, he adds, these are the smallest space telescopes ever launched. Each of the nanosatellites weighs about 7 kilograms, about as much as a bowling ball. Each is a cube that measures about 20 centimeters on a side, making each unit a little smaller than a box designed to hold a volleyball. T he telescope on each craf t is mounted so that it looks out of one side of the cube. All six sides of each craf t wear solar cells to generate enough power to run the nanosatellite and its instruments. Besides saving money by using a simple design, the tiny satellites makers also saved money by having the craf t ride piggyback into space on a rocket that was already launching a much larger and costlier satellite. Altogether, each of his teams nanosatellites costs relatively little, Grant says between $1 million and $2 million. Its almost reached the point that any organization that could never have af f orded a telescope of its own can af f ord one now, says Kieran Carroll. Hes an aerospace engineer at Gedex Inc. in Mississauga, Canada. T hat company helps develop instruments that can be carried by planes and used to f ind mineral resources. Previously, Carroll worked at a company that designed small satellites, just as Grant does at his university today. T he new nanosatellites designed by Grants team were launched f rom India on February 25. Now they are orbiting about 800 kilometers (500 miles) above Earth. T hey circle the planet once every 100 minutes. T his gives Earth-bound scientists several opportunities each day to communicate with and retrieve data f rom the satellite as it passes overhead. Micro- and nanosatellites of f er plenty of promise, says Carroll. For example, their sensors can view Earth in inf rared wavelengths, ones people cannot see. With such sensors, scientists could look down on Earth f or hot spots that betray the presence of f orest f ires. Or, orbiting microsatellites could measure water vapor in Earths atmosphere, Carroll notes. And mini-satellites can be f un. Big satellites can be too intimidating, Carroll says. It used to be that the only way to get into the satellite business was to work on some small project being developed as part of much bigger program. Now, engineers can be a part of a small team and be involved in a project f rom start to f inish, he explains. Power Words engineer A person who uses scientif ic knowledge and principles to develop solutions to technical problems. An aerospace engineer, f or example, can design new aircraf t and satellites. T hey can also

analyze existing aircraf t or satellites, measuring their perf ormance in order to suggest or design improvements. exoplanet A planet orbiting a star other than our sun, meaning its outside our solar system. nanosatellite: A satellite thats much smaller than typical space probes. Nano is a Greek word that means dwarf . wavelength (of light): Light, or electromagnetic radiation, is characterized according to its wavelength. Visible wavelengths range f rom red to violet, but all other wavelengths including X-rays, gamma rays, radio waves and microwaves are invisible to the human eye.