Send your personal sound-byte into space

Three hundred "Sprite" chips will be launched into space and will beam data back down to earth. Picture: Kickstarter.com Source: Supplied

• Send your sound-byte into space
  
• Help fund a low-cost space project
• Aims to lower cost of space-flight

NOT many people will have the opportunity to make grand statements as they walk on the face of the moon, but for US$300 ($307.50) you can send your own home truths into space.

An engineer from Ithica, New York is planning to send a box of tiny solar-powered radio transmitters into space and record their transmissions in order to demonstrate the research potential of low cost space crafts.

The size of a couple of postage stamps ? the space boffin has designed 300 chips that contain scaled down capabilities of larger spacecrafts including solar sells, a radio transceiver and a micro-computer with memory and sensors.

Video: WENY-TV News

"My goal is to bring down the huge cost of spaceflight, allowing anyone from a curious high school student or basement tinkerer to a professional scientist to explore what has until now been the exclusive realm of governments and large companies", wrote Zac Manchester on his website.

The Cornell University graduate found that even cheap space-research comes with a cost - specifically $30 000 - so to subsidise the project The aerospace engineer is offering people the opportunity to fund the venture.

In exchange the "Sprite" satellites will broadcast your initials or personal message as they orbit the Earth.

The chips are the size of a couple of postage stamps but have solar cells, a radio transceiver, and a microcontroller. Picture: Kickstarter

Source: Supplied

Once in space amateur radio operators at the Genso Project will track the chip's transmissions.

Though the chips have pretty basic functionality, Mr Manchester says he hopes to install thermometers and other sensors to the next generation of chips.

Can?t afford $300? That?s okay, for donations of $25 or more you can have your name printed on of the panels of the KickSats box which will be used to launch the chips into space.

$75 will earn you a non-functioning replica of the chip as a souvenir.

That?s one small cost for man ? and possibly one giant amateur space project for mankind.

Source: http://www.news.com.au/technology/sci-tech/send-your-personal-sound-byte-into-space/story-fn5fsgyc-1226162685042?from=public_rss

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