Stanford University Students Design Canopy for CubeSats

Stanford researchers have completed the first successful tests in zero gravity of a canopy for CubeSats — the tiny satellites that hitch rides on rockets sending larger satellites into orbit. The goal is to gather data on what happens when micrometeoroids slam into a satellite. Such impacts often knock out electronic equipment on satellites. The encounters are poorly understood, but the canopies could be a first step in eventually building “black boxes” for satellites similar to airplane flight recorders.

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URL: http://www.parabolicarc.com/2010/11/23/video-stanford-university-students-design-canopy-cubesats/