Ground Sphere Initial Questions v. 0.1¶

• Ground Sphere Initial Questions v. 0.1
  • • Q1. Why are we making this?
    • Q2. Who is this for?
    • Q3. How will this be used?
    • Q4. What features does it need to have (now)?
    • Q5. What features does it need to have (later)?
    • Q6. What are the legacy requirements?
    • Q7. Who's going to build this?
    • Q8. How many do we want to make?
    • Q9. What is the budget?
    • Q10. What is the timeline?
    • Q11. What waste products will be produced by the manufacture and/or operation of this?

Q1. Why are we making this?¶

A1. The Ground Sphere CubeSat Ground Station is being built specifically to receive ""tweets from space" which will be broadcast by the SkyCube CubeSat. A side effect of having such a low cost and easy to use ground station is the educational opportunities in areas including satellite orbits, radio technology, telecommunications, and programming.

Q2. Who is this for?¶

A2. The Ground Sphere CubeSat Ground Station is for SkyCube backers, students, teachers, scouting troupes, space enthusiasts, and anyone who wants to directly experience satellite communications and participate in the SkyCube mission.

Q3. How will this be used?¶

A3. Ground station operators will use the ground station and its accompanying software to:

1. Predict when the SkyCube (and other satellites) will be flyover the ground station site
2. Use the Software Defined Radio (SDR) to receive the radio transmissions from SkyCube (and other satellites operating on the nearby frequencie)
3. Decode the data packets from the SkyCube to read the "tweets" from space

Q4. What features does it need to have (now)?¶

A4. The test stand needs to:

• Predict when the SkyCube satellite will flyover the ground station and be within signal reception range
• Receive radio signals on 915 MHz
• Decode BPSK-modulated, unencrypted AX.25 data packets sent at 9600 baud
• Be easy to assemble from kit components and only require simple tools (screw drivers, pliers, wrenches, etc) for assembly
• Have low shipping costs for the packaged kit

Q5. What features does it need to have (later)?¶

These features will not necessarily make it into any version of the project, but should be kept in mind for any of its larger sibling test stands later on.

• Predict when other satellites will fly over the ground station and be within signal reception range
• Decode other data formats commonly used by CubeSats
• Share radio signal with other users over Internet connections, so users can listen to satellite signals remotely

Q6. What are the legacy requirements?¶

A6. N/A

Q7. Who's going to build this?¶

A7. ...

Q8. How many do we want to make?¶

A8. ...

Q9. What is the budget?¶

A9. ...

Q10. What is the timeline?¶

A10. ...

Q11. What waste products will be produced by the manufacture and/or operation of this?¶

A11. ...