出典:Wikipedia
出典:『Wikipedia』 (2011/03/05 19:42 UTC 版)
The Multi-Application Survivable Tether (MAST) experiment was an in-space investigation designed to use picosatellite spacecraft connected by tethers to better understand the survivability of tethers in space. It was launched as a secondary payload on a Dnepr rocket on 17 April 2007 as a part of the CubeSat program. It included three picosatellites which were intended to separate and deploy a 1 km (0.6 mile) tether. The experiment hardware was designed under a NASA Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) collaboration between Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) and Stanford University, with TUI developing the tether, tether deployer, tether inspection subsystem, satellite avionics, and software, and Stanford students developing the satellite structures and assisting with the avionics design.