.... .. -.. . -. .. .-- .- -.- .- (HI DE NIWAKA)
October 5, 2012 11:15 AM   Subscribe

.... .. -.. . -. .. .-- .- -.- .- (HI DE NIWAKA) If you see something flashing in the sky and it flashes with that morse sequence, it's not an UFO. It's the small (10cm cube) cubesat FITSAT-1 greeting us from the space with powerful LED morse flashes.
posted by elpapacito (11 comments total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
 
Older pertaining article
posted by elpapacito at 11:18 AM on October 5, 2012


If you could get an array of these things to orbit in formation, fun times could be had.
posted by BungaDunga at 11:31 AM on October 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


I can't help but hear "HI DE NIWAKAAAAA!" as in the opening to The Lion King.
posted by xedrik at 12:15 PM on October 5, 2012


I for one welcome our blinking µBorg overlords.
posted by zippy at 12:24 PM on October 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


I'm glad I saw this article before I saw something like that in the sky.

Dunno if I'd have thought UFO, but I'd probably have thought something, something Air Force Base, whoops! Not good.
posted by BlueHorse at 1:01 PM on October 5, 2012


B E S U R E T O D R I N K
Y O U R O V A L T I N E
posted by Sys Rq at 2:02 PM on October 5, 2012 [3 favorites]


Looks like we won't have a pass here for a week or so, but I'll be listening (and looking!) for it. Thanks!
posted by junco at 3:59 PM on October 5, 2012


Can anyone link to a schedule for FITSAT-1? I'm not finding one. Assuming it's tracking with the International Space Station since it was just deployed from ISS, is the position info for ISS here a good source? Or maybe locating ISS at heavens-above.com? (first configure a current observing site)?

I hope someone who knows how to track satelllites can offer help. I want to see it!
posted by Snerd at 7:14 PM on October 5, 2012 [1 favorite]


THIS IS THE COOLEST THING I'VE SEEN ON METAFILTER IN AGES-STOP-GIVE THESE GUYS MORE FUNDING/WEED-STOP
posted by artof.mulata at 8:46 PM on October 5, 2012 [2 favorites]


Goodnight room.
Coodnight cube.
Goodnight message flashed by the cube.
posted by BiggerJ at 9:02 PM on October 5, 2012 [3 favorites]


Very cool. I love that the cubesat program (and similar programs) exists.

I was wondering how they did attitude control and the article says they just put a big ol' magnet in there to align the cubesat with the Earth's field. How does that work? Doesn't there need to be a dissipative element?
posted by hattifattener at 1:11 AM on October 7, 2012


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