[amsat-bb] Re: Don't Fly SuitSat2 to ISS

[Bill Ress]

Rocky,

Your question regarding SuitSat costs are not unreasonable and I trust 
your question will be answered shortly. When you have the cost 
information what then? The likely next argument is whether the 
"investment" is a good one or a bad one. The PR argument is an abstract 
- hard to quantify the results - good or bad. So lets consider this....

1) It doesn't cost us to "launch" a SuitSat (or whatever it will now be 
called) and I strongly favor participating in ANY free launch. The costs 
are material (and much has been donated by Microchip and the Russians), 
travel, meetings, preparation for launch, etc. Of course - the all 
volunteer labor is FREE.

2) The SuitSat type of free launch will be ongoing with several more 
similar orbit opportunities in the future (i.e. - launch from the ISS), 
and that's a real and "good" thing.

3) The new SuitSat is one sassy little satellite with some really neat 
features. I believe a satellite with its features in orbit for 6 plus 
months is much better than not having a satellite of its design in orbit.

4) We will have learned a lot getting it designed, built and launched 
and this will all support AMSAT's "modularization" concept initiated in 
Atlanta 2008, which in turn supports our next non-SuitSat opportunity.

So from my perspective - not a bad investment!

Regards...Bill - N6GHz



Rocky Jones wrote:
> 
>> Launch costs are about 80 to 90% of a project, and in the case of the 
>> Suitsat2, practically 0%. We'd be foolish not to take that and run.
>>
>> 73, Drew KO4MA
> 
> Drew.  I am sure that the "launch cost" from NASA are zero.
> 
> I bet that the integration cost are not.
> 
> Is it an unreasonable question to ask what the cost of the project are?
> 
> Robert WB5MZO
> 
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