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Tuesday, 21 September 2010 13:00

Alpha Geek: Hojun Song, DIY Satellite Builder

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Photo: Motohiko Hasui

Photo: Motohiko Hasui

Some geeks glue together model Death Stars. Hojun Song built a fully functioning satellite. Dubbed GOD (global orbiting device), it’s set to become the first comsat designed and financed by a private citizen to reach orbit. The tiny (about 60

cubic inches) and cheap (around $500) device is a masterpiece of DIY engineering: Song hacked together a solar cell, a lithium-ion battery, an Arduino board modded to withstand cosmic rays, and four LED lights powerful enough to be seen from back on Earth. To talk to GOD, he uses the jerry-rigged communication device he’s wearing in the photo above. (The cube will transmit Morse code messages that should be visible to an entire hemisphere.) It’s all part of what Song calls OSSI—the Open Source Satellite Initiative. “I wanted to lower the space program’s barrier to entry,” he explains. To make your own satellite, you can download a PDF of instructions, which feature Song’s charming hand-drawn illustrations as well as tech specs. But if your heart is set on seeing your handiwork fly across the sky, you’ll have to start saving up: Song will fork out $100,000 to commercial rocket company NovaNano to launch his supercheap creation into orbit.

Authors: Bryan Gardiner

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