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Written by Don Stowers Family
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Friday, 22 January 2010 |
I received this email today from Brian Turner, captain of the Kansas City Space Pirates…
Well I am off to Photonics West.
This is the trade show where just about all of my sponsors have a
presence. I have been invited to do a poster presentation on Tuesday
evening. It should be a good opportunity to talk with other people in
the profession.
Kind of interesting how this all went from “game” and “hobby” to “profession”.
Anyway. We need to raise about $40,000 to cover all of the
expenses for the competition. And if we want to upgrade to premium
solar cells we need another $80,000. I am not holding my breath for the
$80,000.
The up side is that the competition has established itself as a
draw for fans and viewers with over 25,000 surfing to the online video
feed. Several dozen articles on numerous web sites and coverage on FOX
news as well as other TV stations.
So now we need to connect the sponsors to the audience.
Brian Turner
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 09 May 2008 |
The Conan Show was a big hit. I managed not to choke and remained
rather articulate through the 5 min interview. We did not however get
to cover the competition, the team or the sponsors. They were on the
list but I had no idea how fast time would fly. I felt that I was on
for only 30 seconds. We clearly managed to inform thousands of viewers
about the space elevator and raise awareness.
I saw a big jump in web site visitors but only received 1 small
donation. The show will be re-run at least once so even more may come
of it. I will keep you posted.
You can go watch the video on the NBC site if you missed it.
We mechanically steered an beam! It was just a laser pointer and only
in 1 dimension. Still it is a small but significant step in our mission.
We are planning to go to the ISDC (International Space Development
Conference) in Washington DC at the end of this month. I plan on
meeting with potential supporters there and hopefully securing the
funds needed for the rest of this year.
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Written by Brian Turner
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Wednesday, 30 April 2008 |
Big news. We have landed National Instruments as a sponsor. For those of you who don’t know them, they make the coolest automation software out there (LabVIEW) and all the hardware to go with it. Having high quality software and hardware will make this task far easier than it would have been otherwise and National Instruments is second to none.
Drum roll please ….
I am going to be interviewed about the Space Elevator on NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
Date Friday May 2nd
Time: Very late. After the Tonight Show - Around 11:30 in Kansas City
I have read reports estimating 2 million viewers. Needless to say I am excited and nervous. I am not sure how much the space elevator has been discussed on national network TV but this is clearly a big opportunity. Hope I don’t blow it.
Brian Turner
Captain,
KC Space Pirates
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Written by Brian Turner
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Tuesday, 12 February 2008 |
Well our trip to San Jose was a success. After
meeting with two laser companies we are happy to announce that we have
an agreement to use the TRUMPF Trudisk 8002 industrial laser. This
laser is the pinnacle of Industrial laser power and performance. It has
an output of 8 kilowatts. We are very excited to have access to this
laser.
The drawback is that the color of this laser is not well matched
with the best solar cells. Our research has led us to believe we have
a solution to this issue. We are going on an expedition to Detroit
next week to test the underlying tech.
The issue we are struggling with now is how to aim the laser.
It’s awesome power level requires exotic optics and/or special tactics.
It would be no problem if we had $150,000 to throw at it. But because
we have chosen not to be full time fund raisers we are looking for
more creative solutions. This keeps with the spirit of the competition
but of course represents a possible major barrier to our success. I
will have to keep you posted on our progress in this area.
Brian
Captain
KC Space Pirates
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 20 January 2008 |
The sails are up and the trade winds are a blowin'!
We have done some testing with low power lasers horizontally at
1km. We have lined up two different Solar cell providers depending on
what laser we end up using. We have one or two answers for every
technical challenge we have anticipated. We have a few parts for the
'08 climber in house that are awaiting testing along with some sketches
of where to put them.
Our focus has been in making sure we have a viable plan, but the fund raising environment seems warmer than last year.
We have recruited some more expertise this year to make sure we have all the skills needed.
We are heading to a trade show called Photonics West in San
Francisco. It is the biggest show of it's type and all of the major
Laser vendors will be there. As well as most of the optical suppliers
we will need.
We have decided to plan for the full $2 Million prize at a speed of 5 Meters per second.
Even with the shortened schedule this year we are ahead of where we were the last 2 years.
All in all, progress is good and this may be the best year to be a Space Pirate yet!
Thanks again for all of your support.
Brian Turner
Captain
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