ill just leave this here :)

[Gutross]

http://makezine.com/2015/08/09/3d-printable-robotic-telescope-you-can-build/

[MarsG76]

Very interesting... 

[BeanerSA]

Terrible topic title.

[Dave In Vermont]

Interesting. I'll bet Gina would like this. She's our resident 3-D printer-person.

Sending pm.....

Dave

[Gutross]

Terrible topic title.

I know but i did it to peak interest , seems to have worked

[BeanerSA]

I know but i did it to peak interest , seems to have worked

This isn't Buzzfeed

[laudropb]

Interesting post.

[Gutross]

This isn't Buzzfeed

your right , this is not Buzzfeed. But it is a forum filled with Fun and interesting people and topics.  It really is a breath of fresh air compared to many other forums that i have been  a member of in the past.

Welcome to SGL

[Gutross]

Interesting post.

isnt it? robotic telescopes that can be networked world wide, Love the idea

[MattGoo]

Doesn't say where the mirrors are being sourced from?

[Gutross]

no it does not, there is not much information on that page, i did not check into it further but i am sure if one of us asks we could get the manufacturer information

[JamesF]

Seen it, read it, picked holes in it

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/244227-ultrascope-3d-printed-telescope/

James

[Gutross]

Seen it, read it, picked holes in it

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/244227-ultrascope-3d-printed-telescope/

James

Thank you i was unaware that the topic had been discussed already,  thanks for the link i will look it over when i am better able to

[Scott]

Thank you i was unaware that the topic had been discussed already,  thanks for the link i will look it over when i am better able to

Not to worry mate, certain articals come back around from time to time and as there are always new members joining, there will always be new people to read them so from me, it's thanks for posting

[JamesF]

It's frustrating, to be honest.  There seem to have been a few people jumping on the "3d-printed telescope" bandwagon recently, all of whom seem quite unaware that you can actually buy really quite competent telescopes for very little money these days.

They also seem unaware that the most significant part of the cost of any decent small telescope is the optics -- the bits you can't 3D print.  And that what you really need is to put a massively high resolution camera on them, which you don't.

3D printing may well have a place in astronomy, but I'm not really sure people have found where that is just yet.  I'm sure we'd all love to see lots of kit we'd like becoming available at much lower prices.  Certainly if I found it was able to do that I'd be right up there at the front of the queue.  At the moment though they mostly seem to be reinventing the wheel, poorly, and claiming it's an amazing leap forward just because it's 3d-printed.

James

[JamesF]

Not to worry mate, certain articals come back around from time to time and as there are always new members joining, there will always be new people to read them so from me, it's thanks for posting

Yes, my post absolutely wasn't intended as any kind of censure.  Merely a pointer to the fact that there were already some postings on the subject that might be worth a read   My apologies if it came over any other way.

James

[Ruud]

It was new to me. I'll never have time enough to read everything here!

[Gutross]

Yes, my post absolutely wasn't intended as any kind of censure.  Merely a pointer to the fact that there were already some postings on the subject that might be worth a read   My apologies if it came over any other way.

James

it did not come across that way at all, i was happy to see more opinions on it

[Dave In Vermont]

I did as I threatened to do: Sent a pm to Gina. She brought up a good point - would plastic (what 3-D printers use to form objects) be too flexible for holding the optics and keep them from becoming out-of-collimation? Such is why, she stated, she abandoned her own interest in such a project (not an exact quote, but I believe I've captured the essence). It would lack rigidity. 

My thoughts have led me to wonder if it might not work in space in zero gravity. It rings a bell in my head that this was on the drawing-board aboard the ISS (Zarya to our Russian friends).

Fascinating,

Dave

[mcolbert]

Dave, maybe an adaptation of the printer would be needed; something like a 'spindle'? to draw the base of the form from the nozzle(s) thereby replacing some of the gravitational force?  Then again, it would depend also on the shape / mass of the object being printed too - fascinating concept.

[JamesF]

If you could get it to work at all then it might be possible to print all sorts of stuff that wouldn't work on the ground, which could be rather cool.  Forms that won't normally support themselves during the printing process, for instance.

James

[Dave In Vermont]

Dave, maybe an adaptation of the printer would be needed; something like a 'spindle'? to draw the base of the form from the nozzle(s) thereby replacing some of the gravitational force?  Then again, it would depend also on the shape / mass of the object being printed too - fascinating concept.

Such would be described as centrifugal-force, which is why you'd see SciFi renditions of future space-stations that looked like a slowing spinning wheel.

Not sure how that would work on Earth for an industrial set-up. Though there are carnival rides that employ this principle to make little kids, who've eaten wads of cotton-candy, vomit profusely. Fascinating concept.....

Hmmmm.....

Dave

[Gutross]

Such would be described as centrifugal-force, which is why you'd see SciFi renditions of future space-stations that looked like a slowing spinning wheel.

Not sure how that would work on Earth for an industrial set-up. Though there are carnival rides that employ this principle to make little kids, who've eaten wads of cotton-candy, vomit profusely. Fascinating concept.....

Hmmmm.....

Dave

i used to be a Carnie (worker at a carnaval)  there was a ride called spaceshit 2000/gravatron/spaceship  that had sliding wall mounted seats and when you began the ride it would begin spinning. the force became so great pushing against you the wall"seats" woul slide up to the ceiling.  well after a long day of work all the employees got in and turned on the automatic controlls, programmed to run up to max speed in 3 minutes time and hold it at that point for 10.... the force was so great that you could not even lift your fingers or move your head.  I remember a great majority of us puked resulting in the cleanest ride in the park hahah

[JamesF]

I'm sure it's never a great idea to go on a ride that forces you to slide upwards like that.  The contents of one's stomach aren't exactly tied down, after all, and once they're encouraged to travel upwards as well there's only one way it's going to end...

James