How to Build A Satellite - Tonight BBC2

[Telrad]

Tonight on BBC2 @ 8:00pm: How to build A Satellite

BBC Two - How to Build..., Series 2, A Satellite, How to Build...A Satellite

Following manufacturer Astrium as they build a state-of-the-art communication satellite...

[BigTfromNotts]

Decided not too watch it, just in case I was tempted to try and build one. Could not possibly justify the cost of a rocket to launch my attempt into orbit.

[red dwalf]

Got it on tape, watching later

[Adz]

Thanks, very interesting

[SplintUK]

Apparently they wrap the satellites up in "quality street" wrappers. No wonder it costs so much, how big a tin of quality street do you need to get enough wrappers to wrap up a satellite the size of a minibus?

[Telrad]

Apparently they wrap the satellites up in "quality street" wrappers. No wonder it costs so much, how big a tin of quality street do you need to get enough wrappers to wrap up a satellite the size of a minibus?

Aluminized kapton, with foil thickness of 50 and 125 µm, was used. The polyimide gives the foils their distinctive amber-gold color,

lol that did look rather sweet wrapperish.

[SplintUK]

Don't blame me, the thermal architect called it quality street wrappers ;-)

[Alkaid]

I watched it and it was very, very interesting. Some real thinking and engineering going on here. Far more than you would think.

The ending was unfortunate, one of the senior chaps at that firm had never witnessed one of his products being launched and travelled to Brazil (they try to launch from the equator to gain more initial orbit speed, clever eh?) and he most unfortunately missed the launch due to bad weather. Although if he's an amateur astronomer, he's probabaly used to weather wrecking his plans.

A very, very good program.

[SplintUK]

It certainly was / is. Shame try couldn't keep the guy out there a bit longer, but I suspect the film crew also left and the launch was in fact archive footage.

Shame they didn't show more about moving the satellite into geostationary orbit, it would have been interesting. It kind of led up to that, then seemed to skip it at the end.

[AndyH]

Great program !

[ixalon]

Made me want to fire my own space telescope into orbit. If I win the Euromillions jackpot 3 or 4 times, that's where the money is going ;-)

[Adz]

Did make me want to start a drinking game. Drink every time they mentioned it would be in service for 15 years