Bitcoin in space.

[Garr255]

I'd fully support this initiative, but I suspect a significant amount of capital would be necessary.

Indeed it would.

I wonder if Nefario would be willing to pledge 8btc. (GLBSE asset creation fee)

[1715066479]

1715066479

[1715066479]

1715066479

[1715066479]

1715066479

[1715066479]

1715066479

[BinaryMage]

I'd fully support this initiative, but I suspect a significant amount of capital would be necessary.

Indeed it would.

I wonder if Nefario would be willing to pledge 8btc. (GLBSE asset creation fee)

How would we make profit off it though? Seems more like a project for which to solicit donations, not investors...

[Gladamas]

I'd fully support this initiative, but I suspect a significant amount of capital would be necessary.

Indeed it would.

I wonder if Nefario would be willing to pledge 8btc. (GLBSE asset creation fee)

How would we make profit off it though? Seems more like a project for which to solicit donations, not investors...

At first I thought, "mining in space", but you cant cool the rigs up there...

[R-]

I want an orbiting node!

In Orbit Cost: $30 million (an additional $15 million buys a space walk, too)

http://discovermagazine.com/2008/apr/05-space

I pledge 1 Satoshi.

[reg]

garr255

as you are fond of quotes how about "even the longest journey starts with a single step"

I would support an initiative listed on glbse- just go for it- a simple, investment returned if it does not take off (literally) would satisfy most and the reward- a slot on the satelite (it would be worth millions). reg

                http://bitcoinpyramid.com/r/2314

[jothan]

A satellite in orbit would greatly increase the range of the Coinapult for sure !

[Garr255]

garr255

as you are fond of quotes how about "even the longest journey starts with a single step"

I would support an initiative listed on glbse- just go for it- a simple, investment returned if it does not take off (literally) would satisfy most and the reward- a slot on the satelite (it would be worth millions). reg

I will gauge interest with this thread. Hopefully we're able to get enough pledges to even bother with opening up an asset.

A satellite in orbit would greatly increase the range of the Coinapult for sure !

Haha.

At first I thought, "mining in space", but you cant cool the rigs up there...

Of course we will throw some FPGAs and ASICs up there!

[BinaryMage]

At first I thought, "mining in space", but you cant cool the rigs up there...

Doesn't matter that there's no air, plenty cold ambiently.

Actually, it would be an excellent environment for mining. No cooling required and extremely efficient solar power. If you could manage to get reasonably priced internet bandwidth and a large enough volume, it could be cost-efficient...

[edd]

If you could manage to get reasonably priced internet bandwidth and a large enough volume, it could be cost-efficient...

Anyone know how difficult it would be to maintain a geosynchronous orbit?

[Littleshop]

At first I thought, "mining in space", but you cant cool the rigs up there...

Doesn't matter that there's no air, plenty cold ambiently.

Actually, it would be an excellent environment for mining. No cooling required and extremely efficient solar power. If you could manage to get reasonably priced internet bandwidth and a large enough volume, it could be cost-efficient...

The cooling would require heat radiators and maybe even liquid cooling even with FPGA, but it is of course possible. 

[Blazr]

The cooling would require heat radiators and maybe even liquid cooling even with FPGA, but it is of course possible.  

Its -270.3celsius in space, you would need to warm up the FPGA rather than cool it.

[BinaryMage]

The cooling would require heat radiators and maybe even liquid cooling even with FPGA, but it is of course possible.  

Its -270.3celsius in space, you would need to warm up the FPGA rather than cool it.

Yup. Heatsinks would be serious overkill. It might even have issues running at that low a temperature...

[Garr255]

Code:

[Spartan-6] Junction temperature operating range
Commercial (C) range 0 – 85 °C
Industrial temperature (I) range –40 – 100 °C
Expanded (Q) temperature range –40 – 125 °C

http://www.xilinx.com/support/documentation/data_sheets/ds162.pdf

[BinaryMage]

Code:

[Spartan-6] Junction temperature operating range
Commercial (C) range 0 – 85 °C
Industrial temperature (I) range –40 – 100 °C
Expanded (Q) temperature range –40 – 125 °C

http://www.xilinx.com/support/documentation/data_sheets/ds162.pdf

Yeah, that'll be a problem. Guess we'll have to solar-heat the mining rigs.

Man, heating mining rigs. Not exactly a usual combination of words.

[Garr255]

I just mailed someone who will ask Harvard whether they want to get involved with this. Does anybody have any MIT hookups?

[rjk]

Wonder if you could get electricity by using Peltier chips backwards - the heat from the miner would run the hot side, and space would run the cold side, and electricity comes out the middle. But that sounds too much like a perpetual motion machine that won't work for some reason.

Or maybe the sun will heat the hot side of the Peltier chips, and the GPUs/FPGAs/ASICs will just dump the heat into space. What is a Peltier chip's efficiency compared to solar?

[Littleshop]

The cooling would require heat radiators and maybe even liquid cooling even with FPGA, but it is of course possible.  

Its -270.3celsius in space, you would need to warm up the FPGA rather than cool it.

Space is a vacuum.  You do not get free cooling by touching nothingness.   The vacuum acts as an insulator and therefore some way of radiating heat via radiation has to be used.  Maybe the WHOLE satellite could use the heat to stay at temperature so heat pipes of some kind would be used.  

[Littleshop]

Wonder if you could get electricity by using Peltier chips backwards - the heat from the miner would run the hot side, and space would run the cold side, and electricity comes out the middle. But that sounds too much like a perpetual motion machine that won't work for some reason.

Or maybe the sun will heat the hot side of the Peltier chips, and the GPUs/FPGAs/ASICs will just dump the heat into space. What is a Peltier chip's efficiency compared to solar?

The peltier chips are much worse then solar except where there is no sun.  Peltier like devices have been used in space to make 'nuclear batteries' like on the voyager probes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator

 

[Garr255]

While looking at sites featuring Peltier chips, I found this:

lol.

The ultimate questions are: Will we be heating or cooling the FPGAs? Will we be heating or cooling the satellite?

[BinaryMage]

I just mailed someone who will ask Harvard whether they want to get involved with this. Does anybody have any MIT hookups?

I suspect most high-profile universities will be hesitant to associate themselves with Bitcoins.

Even if they are willing, what are we accomplishing here? An intriguing idea, but more a novelty than anything else.