We are launching a miniature Death Star into space to celebrate Star Wars: Episode IX
Latest Updates from Our Project:
NEW REWARD: Three 37 mm diameter payload slots @ reduced price of $250
about 5 years ago
– Fri, May 03, 2019 at 08:24:22 AM
Celebrate a new kid, car, house, or love in space
Hello World,
The first four payload slots sold out pretty fast so we decided to add three more, reduce the price 35% to $250, and double the value! The NEW $250 REWARD comes with four lower level rewards included:
TWO Physical Names in Space (and BACK) - This is the only reward with TWO
TWO Digital name in space (on microchip) - Again only reward with TWO
3D model download & private CAD URL
The force is strong with (thank) you
The current mission timeline has eight miniature Alderaan’s being released during the zero-G portion of the flight. Each "Alderaan" is a painted and hollowed out ping pong ball 37 mm in diameter with a 1/16 chance of LASER light burning through it (see Update #24 for more LASER videos). So yesterday I thought... why not sell the space inside!!!
How about a baby gender reveal that opens WHILE IN SPACE, as our Death Star fires at an "Alderaan" holding your announcement? To capture this special moment will be recording the entire flight using two cameras; one at 4K resolution and a backup camera at 720p. Both cameras record to a SD card which returns to Earth before Dec 25 (Isaac Newton's birthday), after which we can email you the footage.
Pretty simple right? Just mail your rolled up baby announcement (or any item that can fit inside a 37 mm diameter sphere - like a tiny towel, which is "the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") to our Circuit Launch office / lab in Oakland, CA by Sept 2019 (T-minus 4 months). We will make it happen from there. 100% chance of object return is not guaranteed since rockets and Death Stars often blow up. As a fun Easter Egg the DSiS project will be putting a Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader LEGO piece inside to see who wins (see Update #25 for details and photo).
Only 1 of 4 payload slots left - BACK @ $320 TODAY!
about 5 years ago
– Thu, May 02, 2019 at 02:10:34 PM
Figure 1 - Dimensions for 4 payload slots, GPIO pin access ports, bolt holes, and supercapacitor well.
Hello World
Want to send something really personal into space (and BACK)? How about a wedding ring, a LEGO piece, your hair, skin cells, a DIY experiment, Cheese (like SpaceX did in 2010), or ??? Well here is your chance! The only limit is that the item must be non-living and not explode (too much), we will verify with you before the close of the Kickstarter that your item has a GO to fly.
Just mail your item to our Circuit Launch office / lab in Oakland, CA by Sept 2019 (T-minus 4 months) and we will make it happen. 100% chance of object return is not guaranteed since rockets and Death Stars often blow up especially if Luke Skywalker (@hamillhimself) is around. As a fun Easter Egg the DSiS project will be putting a Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader LEGO piece inside to see who wins (see image below).
This reward also comes with two lower level rewards included:
Pretty simple...They are awesome and Death Star's need them!
However they are not just for fun. The long term (2 to 3 year) goal of this project is to enable wireless power transfer between space to space assets using LASERs and supercapacitors, which is also one goal / upcoming feature of the 12,000 unit SpaceX StarLink satellite constellation.
Supercapacitors can withstand many more recharge cycles then batteries, and require MUCH simpler power management electronics. I'm not sure if our specific Maxwell supercapacitors have ever flown in space before (See Update #2) ...but if you know please reach out to us on Twitter @DeathStarSpace.
LASERs can have a far higher power density at specific wavelengths then sunlight and thus can more efficiently (mass and cost wise) transfer power if paired with the correct "solar panels". The current Open Source Death Star hardware has a 0.150 Watt LASER for aiming and a 8.00 Watt LASER for power transfer (I like sig figs).
Any questions? Post them in the comment section below!
In Kickstarter update #3 we announced the FREE Death Star for your school program. Today I wanted to give an update on the voting. Currently we have schools from China and all around the USA voting, you should join them!
Voting ends May the 4th, so visit www.deathstarinspace.com/kickstarter to vote for your school every 12 hours! Your school will receive one full scale (100 mm diameter / 3.93 inch) 3D printed Death Star sphere, one unpopulated PCB, and all the electronics that go with it.
Hey teachers! Assembly of all these parts could make a great semester long extra credit lab... As a bonus I would love to web conference with your school once a week to answer any technical or Star Wars questions. I kind of like Star Wars :)
