The Technology Tycoons showed up today, the 7th team (of the 8 we are expecting) to arrive.\u00a0 This is the team which, last year, was known as “Lite Won”.\u00a0 They are from Campbell High School located in, oddly enough, Campbell, California.<\/p>\n
Even though they were the “youngest” (in terms of chronological age of the team members) to compete last year, their performance was most impressive, being beaten out by only USST.\u00a0 I expect no less from them this year.<\/p>\n
Last year, their array was directly powered by the sun.\u00a0 Their solar-cell array was facing upwards, using direct sun power (as opposed to the Kansas City Space Pirates which used redirected solar power).\u00a0 NASA has decreed that this will not be allowed this year as it is not “beam technology” (NASA is interested in the beam technology advances these games will show, not a Space Elevator per se.\u00a0 See my previous posting<\/a> on this subject).<\/p>\n This year, they have just turned their solar cell array upside down.\u00a0 They will be reflecting sunlight onto it with several (10, I think) hand-held, 4’x8′ mirrors.\u00a0 When I asked them how they will be able to know that their mirrors are actually hitting the array, they told me that they will just “follow the ribbon” all the way up.\u00a0 I think they’re being overly-optimistic, but we’ll see.\u00a0 After their performance last year, I’m not counting them out at all.\u00a0 I suggested to them that they get the KC Space Pirates permission to use their balloon to practice targeting the mirrors.<\/p>\n