The main problem with dropping from a balloon or kite would be having to drop the capsule over an ocean or desert. Maybe instead we could buy a drone/RC plane and have it do parabolas just like the big nasa 747 does. Or if we do go the balloon/kite route maybe have a big spool of monofilament tethering the falling capsule to the balloon/kite, so that when it falls x-distance its fall is stopped. It could then either be spooled by up by a motor on the balloon/kite for another drop, or it could cut itself loose and deploy a parachute. Something like a Helikite (<a href="http://www.helikites.com/">http://www.helikites.com/</a>) could be perfect, allowing a decent sized payload to be raised up very high and dropped multiple times.<br>
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Oct 3, 2012 at 1:11 AM, Lee von Kraus <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:leevonk@gmail.com" target="_blank">leevonk@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
How about making and demonstrating a miniature microgravity 'generator' to allow DIY testing of things in microgravity on earth. It would be pretty easy and cheap and would open space research to the masses by allowing short duration generation of microgravity conditions. It could be a weather-balloon-dropped capsule or something with cameras build into the inside to allow observation of whatever short duration experiment one is interested in. This is a relatively quick and easy project that would help attract attention and funding, while also facilitating hackerspaces in doing their own future experiments. <br>
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<br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Oct 2, 2012 at 11:41 PM, Jerry Isdale <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jerry@mauimakers.com" target="_blank">jerry@mauimakers.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div style="word-wrap:break-word">Apparently Arthur C Clarke did a story on Solar Sail racing (Sunjammer, aka The Wind from the Sun, ~1963)<div> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunjammer" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunjammer</a></div>
<div><br><div>A graphic novel/short of it is at </div><div> <a href="http://240plan.ovh.net/~upngmmxw/imag/bd/bd_a.htm" target="_blank">http://240plan.ovh.net/~upngmmxw/imag/bd/bd_a.htm</a></div><div><span><font color="#888888"><br>
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<div style="word-wrap:break-word"><div style="word-wrap:break-word">Jerry Isdale<br><a href="http://MauiMakers.com" target="_blank">http://MauiMakers.com</a></div><div style="word-wrap:break-word"><a href="http://www.mauimakers.com/blog/thursday-public-meeting/" target="_blank">http://www.mauimakers.com/blog/thursday-public-meeting/</a></div>
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<br><div><div>On Oct 1, 2012, at 2:51 PM, Matt Johnson wrote:</div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div>I think that is an outstanding idea. It is rather ambitious, has<br>anyone even been able to steer a solar sail yet?<br>
<br>I agree with Alex a spacers cup might attract some real money.<br><br>--<br>Matt Johnson<br><br><br><br>On Sun, Sep 30, 2012 at 9:42 PM, Jerry Isdale <<a href="mailto:isdale@gmail.com" target="_blank">isdale@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite">What do you think of a challenge to sail a solar sail around 3 earth<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Lagrange points?<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Would it be possible to control a sail to navigate around three such points?<br>
</blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Maybe have a Spacers Cup, akin to America's Cup sail race.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Jerry Isdale<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">
<a href="mailto:isdale@gmail.com" target="_blank">isdale@gmail.com</a><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">
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