Here is more news about the Delta Heavy, I copied this article from Space.com, written by Leonard David:
Dec 8, 2004
Nanosats Onboard Delta 4-Heavy Booster
Two “nanosatellites†are sitting atop that Delta 4-Heavy rocket – the maiden flight of the huge booster that’s set for liftoff on December 10.
The nanosatellites weigh about 60 pounds and are the size of a large microwave oven. They are the high-tech offspring of students and faculty members at New Mexico State University (NMSU), the University of Colorado at Boulder and Arizona State University.
The main scientific project for the satellites will be to use digital cameras to capture stereo images of cloud formations that can later be converted into 3-D images.
Another goal of the project is to test how well commercial-grade components work in space. Most of the parts used for the nanosatellites, including the digital cameras, were ordered from catalogs and have not been space-proven, said Stephen Horan, a professor of electrical engineering at NMSU who directed the university's participation in the project.
If the project shows that nanosatellites can be operated successfully with commercial-grade components, Horan said, it could help facilitate university researchers to build nanosatellites that are less expensive than traditional satellites. Each of the nanosatellites built for this project cost less than $100,000.
The nanosatellites were built as part of the University Nanosat Program, a competition sponsored by the Air Force Office of Sponsored Research, the Defense Advanced Projects Agency and NASA.
-- Leonard David
