Linked Questions

27 votes
10 answers
5k views

Puzzler - which spacecraft(s) incorporated real wood structural elements?

Not a trick question, but a real puzzler - which spacecraft or spacecrafts incorporated real wood structural elements?
uhoh's user avatar
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12 votes
5 answers
3k views

Highest DC voltage ever intentionally produced in space?

Comments on the page Maximum grid voltage of ion thruster got me wondering; what is the highest DC voltage ever intentionally produced by a spacecraft in space? Photomultiplier tubes and micro-channel ...
uhoh's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
2k views

First use of an incandescent light in an un-crewed spacecraft?

In early, pre-LED spacecraft indicator lights were incandescent I assume. For larger volumes of crewed areas of spacecraft fluorescent lights were often used. But what is the first use of an ...
uhoh's user avatar
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14 votes
3 answers
1k views

If Curiosity had lights, could it drive or work in the evening?

If the Mars rover Curiosity had been equipped with lights, would it be able to drive or do other work in the evening? This could be some combination of LED headlights, wheel-lights, and/or a spotlight ...
uhoh's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
2k views

First TTL chip in space and in orbit? Was it a 7400 series or something that predates?

Similarly to The first transistors in space: Germanium or Silicon? What about in orbit? First LED left on another planet⁺ by humans? w/list of space electronic "firsts" questions what was ...
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9 votes
2 answers
464 views

What was the first unplanned "over-the-air" software update of a spacecraft?

From time-to-time spacecraft have had to be rebooted, in one case Voyager 2 mutinied and had to be reprogrammed and in another Opportunity had it's memory "hacked". As far as I know, deep space ...
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3 votes
2 answers
956 views

When was the last normal electron tube (valve) for electrical circuitry launched into space?

The answer to my question The first transistors in space: Germanium or Silicon? What about LEO? actually addressed both the first Germanium and Silicon transistor. So now I've gotta ask about ...
uhoh's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
1k views

Why can't the VIPER lunar rover recharge its 100-day power source using its solar panels?

update 1: NASA wants ideas for keeping Moon missions powered in the dark update 2: NASA’s Artemis Rover to Land Near Nobile Region of Moon’s South Pole which is informative here Source NASA ...
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3 votes
1 answer
2k views

The first transistors in space: Germanium or Silicon? What about in orbit?

Certain people (me) will have hours of fun in the Transistor Museum website. Who can resist stuff like this: Historic Germanium Transistors; General Transistor/General Instrument (5MB pdf)? I found ...
uhoh's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
572 views

What was the first use of analog to digital conversion in a satellite?

This answer to Do the Voyager probes transmit analogue or digital data? states that the Voyagers sent only digital data. This is no doubt mostly because analog data was digitized and store digitally ...
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4 votes
1 answer
497 views

Who was the first person in space to "be on TV"?

The Apollo missions had video cameras and transmitted live images to Earth, but I am not sure if there were any video transmission prior to the Apollo 11. Question: Who was the first person in space ...
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0 votes
1 answer
484 views

What was the first piece of wood to reach the far side of the Moon? Or the first spacecraft?

Chang'e-4 is the first lander/rover mission to reach the far side, but probably doesn't have any wood on it. What was the first piece of wood that landed on the far side of the Moon, and what was the ...
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2 votes
1 answer
289 views

When did an astronaut in space first see someone on a TV screen?

The Apollo missions had video cameras and transmitted live images to Earth. But what about the other direction -- astronauts seeing live images of people on Earth? Question: When did an astronaut in ...
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3 votes
1 answer
192 views

First multiprocessor in space?

Similarly to The first transistors in space: Germanium or Silicon? What about in orbit? First LED left on another planet⁺ by humans? w/list of space electronic "firsts" questions First TTL ...
Uwe's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
148 views

Has anyone reported looking for bandgap photoemission from III-V solar panels on spacecraft? Has any success ever been reported?

I have asked a related question in Physics SE: Do III-V based photovoltaics “glow” (photo-luminesce) when illuminated but not loaded? and the answer (as expected, as it must be) is yes. Question: Have ...
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