Spring Break
Student satellite to orbit Earth
Group plans to complete the project by 2008
Cody Haueter
Issue date: 11/5/07 Section: News
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Luine said the Spartnik project was never completed because of political and administrative issues that arose.
"Our project, while similar in goal, is not a spin-off of the Spartnik project," Luine said. "The CubeSat project is different and just as groundbreaking as the Spartnik project. We are doing something on a much smaller scale. Smaller teams with fewer goals tend to be faster, more agile and easier to organize."
Not all of the students involved in the project are mechanical engineering students, Stackpole said.
"CubeSat Team SJSU currently has around 20 members from various engineering, science and business backgrounds, and we are always looking for other people who can help out with the project," said Stackpole.
The CubeSat project is not part of a class, but it is for any student who wants to be involved.
"One of the important aspects of our club is that it is completely interest based," Stackpole said. "We are not doing this as part of school curriculum. There is no class credit for our work. We don't get paid. We are just doing what we love."
The team still has a lot of things to do before it can send their satellite into space. Right now, Stackpole said the team is finishing the overall design and it expects it to be ready to launch sometime next year.
"When working on a project like this you run into a lot of nay-sayers, people who come up with a hundred reasons why something can't be done. But I've seen the seemingly impossible happen, and I know that this school possesses not only the know-how but also the motivation to pull something like this off," Stackpole said.
"Our project, while similar in goal, is not a spin-off of the Spartnik project," Luine said. "The CubeSat project is different and just as groundbreaking as the Spartnik project. We are doing something on a much smaller scale. Smaller teams with fewer goals tend to be faster, more agile and easier to organize."
Not all of the students involved in the project are mechanical engineering students, Stackpole said.
"CubeSat Team SJSU currently has around 20 members from various engineering, science and business backgrounds, and we are always looking for other people who can help out with the project," said Stackpole.
The CubeSat project is not part of a class, but it is for any student who wants to be involved.
"One of the important aspects of our club is that it is completely interest based," Stackpole said. "We are not doing this as part of school curriculum. There is no class credit for our work. We don't get paid. We are just doing what we love."
The team still has a lot of things to do before it can send their satellite into space. Right now, Stackpole said the team is finishing the overall design and it expects it to be ready to launch sometime next year.
"When working on a project like this you run into a lot of nay-sayers, people who come up with a hundred reasons why something can't be done. But I've seen the seemingly impossible happen, and I know that this school possesses not only the know-how but also the motivation to pull something like this off," Stackpole said.
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