Re: [amsat-bb] Delta 4 Heavy going up pretty empty?

[Nate Duehr <nate@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert Bruninga wrote:

>>>>Nate Duehr <nate@natetech.com> 12/13/04 3:38:17 AM >>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>Seems like a waste...  Anyone... know... why AMSAT's not 
>>at least sending *something* up on this flight? 
>>    
>>
>
>"AMSAT" was involved.
>We had a serious proposal for a super-GEO Amateur satellite
>bird on that launch as a student project that was reviewed 
>by DOD.  It would have had 4 transponders for packet, APRS,
>and a linear trasnsponder.  It beat out 2 dozen other
>proposals and made it into the top 4. 
>
>see http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/RAgeo.html
>  
>
[snipped to make reply shorter...]

Wow, all I can say is "We're glad you're there Bob!" 

Sounds like you made a great effort to hitch us a ride.  Thanks for 
satisfying my curiosity.  Now we know, "The rest of the story."

It's too bad they felt that without the special solar cells your bird 
wasn't worth flying.  Your original bird certainly would have had 
excellent "taxpayer return" also.  At least for *this* taxpayer.  ;-)

Thanks for all your hard work,

Nate WY0X
----
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