Pentagon's In-Orbit Satellite Recycling Program Moving Forward

An anonymous reader writes with an update on DARPA's plans to rebuild satellites in orbit. "A year old DARPA program which aims to recycle satellites in orbit has started its next phase by looking for a guinea pig defunct satellite to use for evaluating the technology required. The program involves a Dr Frankensat 'complete with mechanical arms and other "unique tools"' and blank "satlets" to build upon.' Need parts! Kill the little one!" If we're ever going to build space craft and other things in orbit, this seems like a great first step.

Re:Pentagon work

[SuricouRaven]

DARPA runs high-risk high-payoff research. Ninety-nine out of a hundred things they try fail - but the one that actually works is revolutionary.

Re:Roger Wilco

[Anonymous Coward]

FYI:
SpaceVenture, a KickStarter project by the creators of Space Quest [kickstarter.com] (successfully funded but still accepting PayPal donations)

Re:Best idea from the Pentagon in a while

[Muad'Dave]

Are you kidding??? Do you have any idea how abjectly destitute the average Cuban is, thanks to Castro? They may have great health care and education, but that's about it. I talk to Cubans regularly via amateur radio, and I'm constantly amazed at how well they manage to keep their radios going with nothing more than spit and bailing wire.

The only reason they drive 50's vintage cars is because that's all that were on the island at the time of Castro's takeover - no one can afford a new car, even if they were allowed to import one!

From wikipedia [wikipedia.org]:
"Typical wages range from factory worker's 400 non-convertible Cuban pesos a month to doctor's 700. That is around 17-30 U.S. dollars a month."
"After Cuba lost subsidies in 1991, malnutrition resulted in an outbreak of diseases and general hunger."
"Pensions are among the smallest in the Western hemisphere at $9.50. In 2009, Raul Castro increased minimum pensions by 2 dollars, which he said was to recompense for those who have "dedicated a great part of their lives to working... and who remain firm in defense of socialism"."

Re:Pentagon work

[MyLongNickName]

Okay, let's try

* GPS
* Stealth Technology
* Materials that are currently used in electronics today
* Real-time voice to text translation
* Advances in certain types of lasers

Your argument is basically that spending on future tech has a high failure rate. To that I say "duh, of course it does".