Penny Stock "Star Wars" Technology

Penny Stock “Star Wars” Technology

Oct 30th, 2007 | By Penny Sleuth Contributor | Category: Penny stocks, Technology

The Christian Science Monitor reports that new floating spheres will soon be deployed in space, bringing us closer to “Star Wars”-type functionality.

The space shuttle Discovery has carried a test unit into space, as has Soyuz. MIT’s Space Systems Laboratory developed the prototypes. Ironically, they were inspired by the Star Wars movies.

Dr. David Miller, director of MIT’s Space Systems Laboratory, watched the floating droid scene from the first movie with his students, and challenged them to make the same.

These tiny satellites are the size of bowling balls, yet thanks to microelectronics they contain computers, position sensors and even thrusters to control delicate maneuvers.

They weigh just nine pounds. Similarly to a bat, it can locate itself relative to other objects by using two-dozen microphones to monitor ultrasonic beacons. When set up as a family, these satellites will communicate with each another via radio.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and NASA are studying the satellites in pursuit of intelligent docking systems that can sense trouble and use their thrusters to automatically compensate.

They will be able to fly in precision formation thanks to continuous attitude adjusters and computerized synchronization. One exciting application is the construction of space telescopes with vast range and depth.

Interferometer-based telescopes use multiple mirrors spread out over large distances. To work correctly, each satellite will have to be positioned precisely to within an inch of each other. Set up correctly, such a telescope can “mirror” the functionality of a single telescope many miles wide.

This is one of the best examples I’ve seen of the power of the technological tidal wave to radically cut costs and improve functionality. Let’s contrast it to the Hubble Space Telescope.

The Hubble was an engineering marvel when launched in 1990 at a cost of $2.2 billion. It has given us breathtaking and paradigm-shifting pictures from deep space. This new technology, once deployed, should offer better resolution at not more than 1/10 the cost. (I am being conservative here. I expect it to be closer to 1% of the cost.)

If you’re as old as I am, you remember when simple satellites with far less capabilities than those launched today each cost billions of dollars to launch. There are two companies that deliver satellites in the range of $10 million apiece and racing to lower costs further.

What does this mean? It means a far wider array of scientific experiments and even commercial endeavors can be put into space. It means that experiments, which might not have been cost-effective even 10 years ago, today have the potential to be launched.

For example, over 400 alloys have been identified that cannot be manufactured on Earth due to the presence of gravity. Theoretical analysis suggests that some of these should have remarkable properties such as strength, lightness of weight and smoothness. These could lead to commercially valuable applications — perhaps even tomorrow’s stainless steel replacement or vehicle glass that never pits or cracks.

The manufacture of such alloys could be done on orbiting space platforms and the resulting products brought to Earth in a variety of ways. First, however, it’s necessary to actually make them and test them.

This can only be done in the zero gravity of space. I can foresee new multipurpose microsatellites such as those discussed above being used to conduct such tests in the near future.

A micro-satellites network, such as that discussed above, could have a very practical application in the near term. Currently, we have no practical defense against dangerous asteroids hitting Earth.

While few of them are likely to be “planet killers” such as what wiped out the dinosaurs, statistically we’re overdue for the kind that could level a city with the force of a Hiroshima atomic bomb.

A network of satellites could continually monitor space near Earth for dangerous approaching asteroids, buying us precious time to mount a defense. It’s far easier to deflect an asteroid from farther away than nearby. If the asteroid were intercepted near the sun, a tiny nudge of a rocket thruster might be sufficient. On the other hand, if it were detected when closely approaching Earth, we might have to break it up — no easy task.

Creating such a network should cost the average American a couple of pennies per year. I don’t know about you, but to me that looks like pretty cheap insurance for my city and my planet.

To your profitable future,
Jonathan Kolber
October 30, 2007

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Penny Sleuth Contributor

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