"Can any hobbyist build a satellite? Our DIY guide steps you through designing and building a base picosatellite platform tough enough to withstand launch and survive in orbit. If you have basic maker skills, you can build a space-ready solar-powered computer-controlled assembly suitable for attaching instruments and rocketing into space." [résumé éditeur].

La 4e de couverture indique : "Whether your picosatellite is watching the Earth or gazing at the stars, you need to know what you're sensing. This do-it-yourself guide explains what you can measure---and the constraints on those measurements---when you're orbiting the Earth. Learn exactly what physical quantities you can measure, and how to plan your sensor loadout. The perfect follow-up to DIY Satellite Platforms (our primer for designing and building a picosatellite), this book takes you beyond just flying a camera in space and shows you what data you can gather and play with using your own personal satellite. Learn about all the sensors you can select for your mission; get acquainted with key electronic communications protocols; I2C, TTL, SPI, analog, and digital; find out how much more your instruments can "see" when they're above the atmosphere; Understand how to calibrate sensors and how to pick the signal out of the noise; determine the optimal data acquisition rate for your available bandwith; [and] look at off-the-shelf sensor hardware and CPU choices (such as Arduino)"

Radio spectrum for commanding and recording from our satellites is a shared resource with subtle hurdles. We walk the path originally paved by AMSATs to discuss the steps and licensing needed to set up and operate both a command uplink and a data download station and network. Find out how playing nicely with others maximizes your ability to get your data down.

What can you measure and what are your limits when orbiting in space? Learn about what physical quantities you can measure and what types of sensors you can buy or build. We cover the 5 essential design limits as well: power, bandwidth, resolution, computing... and legal limitations. Explore what you can play with using your own personal satellite.

Is your picosatellite ready for launch? Can it withstand rocket thrusts and the vacuum of space? This do-it-yourself guide helps you conduct a series of hands-on tests designed to check your satellite’s readiness. Learn precisely what the craft and its electronic components must endure if they’re to function properly in Low Earth Orbit. The perfect follow-up to DIY Satellite Platforms (our primer for designing and building a picosatellite), this book also provides an overview of what space is like and how orbits work, enabling you to set up the launch and orbit support you’ll need. Go deep into the numbers that describe conditions your satellite will face Learn how to mitigate the risks of radiation in the ionosphere Pick up enough formal systems engineering to understand what the tests are all about Build a thermal vacuum chamber for mimicking environment of space Simulate the rocket launch by building and running a vibration shake test Use a homebuilt centrifuge to conduct high G-force tests Get guidelines on scheduling tests and choosing an appropriate lab or clean room

Makers around the globe are building low-cost devices to monitor the environment, and with this hands-on guide, so can you. Through succinct tutorials, illustrations, and clear step-by-step instructions, you’ll learn how to create gadgets for examining the quality of our atmosphere, using Arduino and several inexpensive sensors. Detect harmful gases, dust particles such as smoke and smog, and upper atmospheric haze—substances and conditions that are often invisible to your senses. You’ll also discover how to use the scientific method to help you learn even more from your atmospheric tests. Get up to speed on Arduino with a quick electronics primer Build a tropospheric gas sensor to detect carbon monoxide, LPG, butane, methane, benzene, and many other gases Create an LED Photometer to measure how much of the sun’s blue, green, and red light waves are penetrating the atmosphere Build an LED sensitivity detector—and discover which light wavelengths each LED in your Photometer is receptive to Learn how measuring light wavelengths lets you determine the amount of water vapor, ozone, and other substances in the atmosphere Upload your data to Cosm and share it with others via the Internet "The future will rely on citizen scientists collecting and analyzing their own data. The easy and fun gadgets in this book show everyone from Arduino beginners to experienced Makers how best to do that." --Chris Anderson, Editor in Chief of Wired magazine, author of Makers: The New Industrial Revolution (Crown Business)

LEGALLY TAP INTO ABSOLUTELY FREE SATELLITE TV! Replace or expand your paid TV services with Free-to-Air television programming with ease. Build Your Own Free-to-Air (FTA) Satellite TV System shows how to affordably put together your own subscription-free home entertainment center from start to finish. Find out how to choose the right components, set up a satellite dish and receiver, fine-tune reception, add local over-the-air stations, and go mobile with your FTA TV system. You'll get full details on recording to the latest digital devices, installing a TV card in your PC, viewing video over the Internet, and integrating theater-quality audio. Photos and diagrams illustrate each step along the way. Comprehensive lists of technical terms and definitions, available channels and satellites, and dish-aiming steps are also included in this practical guide. COVERAGE INCLUDES: Equipment, component, and tool selection Satellite dish and FTA receiver installation Stereo, 5.1, and 7.1 sound Dish alignment and synchronization Local over-the-air channel reception Video over the Internet and movies on demand DVD players, DVRs, PCs, and VCRs Mobile, RV, and remote Free-to-Air TV