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| ''Click RecentChanges on any page to see what I've been working on lately.'' | |
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| It is easier to move bits than atoms or energy. | Keith Lofstrom will present Server Sky to the [[ SSCS-OR | IEEE Oregon Solid State Circuits Society on 2012 June 20. ]] ------- It is easier to move bits than atoms or energy. |
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| Server-sats are ultralight disks of silicon that convert sunlight into computation and communications. Powered by a large solar cell, propelled and steered by light pressure, networked and located by microwaves, and cooled by radiation into deep space. Arrays of tens of thousands of server-sats act as highly redundant computation and database servers, as well as phased array antennas to reach thousands of transceivers on the ground. | Server Sky thinsats are ultralight films of glass that convert sunlight into computation and communications. Powered by solar cells, propelled and steered by light pressure, networked and located by microwaves, and cooled by radiation into deep space. Arrays of tens of thousands of thinsats act as highly redundant computation and database servers, as well as phased array antennas to reach thousands of transceivers on the ground. |
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| First generation server-sats are 400 millimeters across ( about 16 inches ) and 0.1 millimeters (100 microns) thick, and weigh 30 grams. They can be mass produced with off-the-shelf semiconductor technologies. Gallium arsenide radio chips provide intra-array, inter-array, and ground communication, as well as precise precision information. Server-sats are launched stacked by the thousands in solid cylinders, shrouded and vibration isolated inside a traditional satellite bus. | First generation thinsats are 18 centimeters across (about 7 inches) and 0.05 millimeters (50 microns) thick, and weigh 3 grams. They can be mass produced with off-the-shelf semiconductor and display technologies. Gallium arsenide radio chips provide intra-array, inter-array, and ground communication, as well as precise location information. Thinsats are launched stacked by the thousands in solid cylinders, shrouded and vibration isolated inside a traditional satellite bus. |
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| Traditional data centers consume more than 2% of US electrical power, and this fraction is growing rapidly. Server arrays in orbit can grow to virtually unlimited computation power, communicate with the whole world, pay for themselves with electricity savings, and greatly reduce pollution and resource usage in the biosphere. | Traditional data centers consume almost 3% of US electrical power, and this fraction is growing rapidly. Server arrays in orbit can grow to virtually unlimited computation power, communicate with the whole world, pay for themselves with electricity savings, and greatly reduce pollution and resource usage in the biosphere. |
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| Server Sky is speculative. The most likely technical showstopper is radiation damage. The most likely practical showstopper is fear of the future. | The goal is an energy and space launch growth path that follows Moore's Law, with the cost of energy and launch halving every two years. Server Sky may cost two to ten times as much as ground-based computation in 2015, but is may cost 100 times less in 2035. The computation growth driven by Moore's Law is solving difficult problems from genetics to improved manufacture for semiconductors. If Server Sky and Moore's Law can do the same for clean energy, we can get rid of the carbon fuel plants, undam the rivers, and reduce atmospheric CO2 far sooner than we had dared hope. Energy production systems based on manual manufacturing, human construction assembly, and the use of terrestrial land, biological habitat, and surface water, packaged to survive weather, gravity, and corrosion, cannot grow at the same rate as Moore's Law. Server Sky is speculative. The most likely technical showstopper is [[ RadiationDamage | radiation damage ]]. The most likely practical showstopper is misunderstanding. Working together, we can fix the latter. |
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| * [[ ServerSatV01 | Server-sat Detailed Description ]] | * [[ 212acres | Why Bother? 212 Acres and a Marble ]] |
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| * [[ NavigationV01 | Solar Sail Propulsion and Navigation ]] |
* [[ ThinsatV3 | Thinsat Detailed Description ]] * [[ NavigationV01 | Thinsat Propulsion and Navigation ]] |
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| * [[ LaunchingV01 | Launching Server-sats from Earth ]] | * [[ LaunchingV01 | Launching Thinsats from Earth ]] |
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| * [[ Manufacturing | Manufacturing Server-sats ]] |
* [[ Manufacturing | Manufacturing Thinsats ]] * [[ BiologicalEffects | Biological and Environmental Effects ]] |
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* [[ Criticism ]] |
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| * [[ Participate ]] | * [[ Participate ]] . . . . [[http://lists.server-sky.com/|Mailing List Signup]] |
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| * [[ Events2009 | Events ]] | * [[ Events2010 | Events ]] . . . recent [[ http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1431656 | video ]] of a presentation at [[ http://linuxfestnorthwest.org/ | Linuxfest Northwest ]] . . . a [[ http://server-sky.com/slides/amsat01/aaaaa.html | web-based slide show ]] . . . [[ http://server-sky.com/slides/serversky.pdf | paper ]] . . . [[ http://server-sky.com/slides/onepager.pdf | one page writeup ]] |
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| This website is under construction - most of the sections need filling in. | * [[ http://launchloop.com | The Launch Loop ]], a speculative space launch system useful for launching Server Sky. This website is under construction - many of the sections need filling in. If you want to improve spelling, add expertise, etc... send me an ASCII (not html) email {{attachment:em.png}} and I will add you to the editor's list. |
Server Sky - internet and computation in orbit
Click RecentChanges on any page to see what I've been working on lately.
Keith Lofstrom will present Server Sky to the IEEE Oregon Solid State Circuits Society on 2012 June 20.
It is easier to move bits than atoms or energy.
Server Sky thinsats are ultralight films of glass that convert sunlight into computation and communications. Powered by solar cells, propelled and steered by light pressure, networked and located by microwaves, and cooled by radiation into deep space. Arrays of tens of thousands of thinsats act as highly redundant computation and database servers, as well as phased array antennas to reach thousands of transceivers on the ground.
First generation thinsats are 18 centimeters across (about 7 inches) and 0.05 millimeters (50 microns) thick, and weigh 3 grams. They can be mass produced with off-the-shelf semiconductor and display technologies. Gallium arsenide radio chips provide intra-array, inter-array, and ground communication, as well as precise location information. Thinsats are launched stacked by the thousands in solid cylinders, shrouded and vibration isolated inside a traditional satellite bus.
Traditional data centers consume almost 3% of US electrical power, and this fraction is growing rapidly. Server arrays in orbit can grow to virtually unlimited computation power, communicate with the whole world, pay for themselves with electricity savings, and greatly reduce pollution and resource usage in the biosphere.
The goal is an energy and space launch growth path that follows Moore's Law, with the cost of energy and launch halving every two years. Server Sky may cost two to ten times as much as ground-based computation in 2015, but is may cost 100 times less in 2035. The computation growth driven by Moore's Law is solving difficult problems from genetics to improved manufacture for semiconductors. If Server Sky and Moore's Law can do the same for clean energy, we can get rid of the carbon fuel plants, undam the rivers, and reduce atmospheric CO2 far sooner than we had dared hope. Energy production systems based on manual manufacturing, human construction assembly, and the use of terrestrial land, biological habitat, and surface water, packaged to survive weather, gravity, and corrosion, cannot grow at the same rate as Moore's Law.
Server Sky is speculative. The most likely technical showstopper is radiation damage. The most likely practical showstopper is misunderstanding. Working together, we can fix the latter.
Radios for communication, interconnect, synchronization, radar, and orientation
The Space Environment - Radiation, Drag, Collisions, Erosion
Future Possibilities - low cost launch, terascale arrays, beam power to Earth, scientific sensors
Participate . . . . Mailing List Signup
Events . . . recent video of a presentation at Linuxfest Northwest . . . a web-based slide show . . . paper . . . one page writeup
The Launch Loop, a speculative space launch system useful for launching Server Sky.
This website is under construction - many of the sections need filling in. If you want to improve spelling, add expertise, etc... send me an ASCII (not html) email 
and I will add you to the editor's list.