User:Geraldshields11/sandbox/Wikipedia likes Galactic exploration for Posterity

Feel free to comment on the User:Geraldshields11/sandbox/Wikipedia likes Galactic exploration for Posterity at the sandbox talk page. Also, on the WP Idea Lab, a project discussion is at the Idea Lab project page.

General idea a simple sphere with solar cells. It just beeps when exposed to sunlight.

proposed by Gerald Shields geraldshields11

Wikipedia likes Galactic Exploration for Posterity or STEM/STEAM for Space - Grand Challenge

I propose building and launching micro satellites containing the good articles of Wikipedia into outer space. I propose to call the series of micro Satellites “Friendship”.

With the recent project to print out Wikipedia on 1,000 volumes of weighty paper tomes and travel the Earth with them as a display, I advocate to preserve the good articles for future Earth-descended generations and, possibly, alien civilizations. The project would consist of creating a micro satellite containing a non-volatile bubble memory chips wrapped in a sphere or American football-shaped photovoltaic panels powering a simple radio transmitter. The photovoltaic panels will power the radio and transmit only when the micro satellite will come close to a star. The radio signal will consisted on short beeps and long pauses. The radio signal will start with one beep then a pause, then two beeps then a pause until ten beeps then a pause before repeating one beep and so on.

The name was inspired by a Star Trek:Voyager episode called Friendship One. In the episode, the Earth government, before joining the United Federation of Planets, launches an early Warp drive probe to spread culture and information in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Specifications of micro satellite

• nonvolatile computer memory to store the good articles
• electronic copy of good articles and featured articles of English Wikipedia (and other language Wikipedias)
• photovoltaic panels to act as skin
• framework
• simple radio transmitter for a beep based on the Fibonacci number sequence (or Golden ratio sequence)
• all the above elements be built to survive 20,000 years in outer space
• if sent to deep space, then a moderate guidance system with a robust booster rocket
• if sent to an L Point, then a robust guidance system with a moderate booster rocket

Project milestones and frame work

At the Idea Lab, Micro Sat Project Team May 31 2014

1. Form a Galactic Exploration committee to handle a kick starter campaign to fund the building of the micro satellite.
2. Get permissions to launch the satellites.
3. Get permission to use a NASA sounding rocket, such as Black Brant XII, launched from Brazil
4. The micro satellite will be built by ham radio operators or makers in Maryland.
5. Request empty space on a launch vehicle to the ISS. One of the astronaut will throw the pico satellite in the direction of outside of the plane of eclipse. In the alternative, launch the satellite into one of the Lagrange points.

Project stages

• Friendship 1 - Low Earth orbit - like Sputnik launch - 1 month - estimated costs = US$ 10 thousand
• Friendship 2 - High Earth orbit - like Mercury launch - 10 - 20 years - estimated costs = US$ 500 million
• Friendship 3 - L5 point - like Apollo launch - 20,000 years - estimated costs = unknown
• Friendship 4 - another star within 20 light years from humanity's home star, The Sun with a rocky planet in the habitable zone - like Voyager launch - 50,000 years - estimated costs = unknown

Fund raiser campaign

Levels of funding

• $10 – your name in the data as a supporter of this satellite Friendship 1
• $20 - your name in the data as a sponsor of this satellite Friendship 1
• $30 – your name in the data as an explorer of the satellite Friendship 1
• $100 - your name and Wikipedia User page in the data as an explorer of the satellite Friendship 1
• $1,000 – your name etched into the frame and your name and Wikipedia User page in the data as an explorer of the satellite Friendship 1
• $10,000 – use of your voice to record of predetermined greeting, written by program manager
• $100,000 – use of your voice to record a greeting you create with final approval by program manager

Benefits

• It may increase name recondition of Wikimedia and its subcomponents.
• It may increase STEM coolness.
• If found by the Earth-descended, in the far future, then it may act as a Rosetta Stone for historians.
• Star Trek fans may be recruited to improve articles to good status.
• It may increase the coolness and hipness of NASA, "intended to be an introductory flight opportunity to provided exposure to, and spark interest in, space based science missions" similar to 41.110 UO KOEHLER/COLORADO SPACE GRANT 6-26-2014.

Detriments

Battlefield Earth promo

• Aliens may use the knowledge gained from Wikipedia to conquer Earth, similar to the warnings of L. Ron Hubbard's book Battlefield Earth and of Stephen Hawking.

Spokespersons

A male and a female because, similar to newscasters to reach a wider audience, they use a male and female.

1. The male should be w:en:user:geraldshields11.
2. The female is to be decided in the future.