It's a Good Cloud Day.
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Interview 2 went much better (which is good, Saskatoon is where it's most likely that pieces would be found, if there are any pieces) and I remembered to say the email address I want people to send possible space junk finds to! AND I got a better camera setup and actually brushed my hair. But I'm somehow going to end up on CBC national news in my ratty farm sweatshirt AGAIN aren't I?
A scary quick calculation: there are 10,375 Starlink satellites in orbit https://planet4589.org/space/con/conlist.html, all coming down within 5 years.
That's an *average* of 5 or 6 a day for the next 5 years. And the v2's are bigger than the v1's. v2's are (conservatively) 1000kg and (conservatively) half aluminum. That's 2.5-3 tonnes of aluminum per day. 8 times the natural infall rate of aluminum (and there's lots of other scary things like lithium). What will that do to our atmosphere?
SpaceX is awful.
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A scary quick calculation: there are 10,375 Starlink satellites in orbit https://planet4589.org/space/con/conlist.html, all coming down within 5 years.
That's an *average* of 5 or 6 a day for the next 5 years. And the v2's are bigger than the v1's. v2's are (conservatively) 1000kg and (conservatively) half aluminum. That's 2.5-3 tonnes of aluminum per day. 8 times the natural infall rate of aluminum (and there's lots of other scary things like lithium). What will that do to our atmosphere?
SpaceX is awful.
Wasn't that the plot of Seveneves?
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Wasn't that the plot of Seveneves?
Had the idea it involved an ablation cascade aka Kessler syndrome.
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A scary quick calculation: there are 10,375 Starlink satellites in orbit https://planet4589.org/space/con/conlist.html, all coming down within 5 years.
That's an *average* of 5 or 6 a day for the next 5 years. And the v2's are bigger than the v1's. v2's are (conservatively) 1000kg and (conservatively) half aluminum. That's 2.5-3 tonnes of aluminum per day. 8 times the natural infall rate of aluminum (and there's lots of other scary things like lithium). What will that do to our atmosphere?
SpaceX is awful.
What is known about how much will it mess up the ozone layer?
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A scary quick calculation: there are 10,375 Starlink satellites in orbit https://planet4589.org/space/con/conlist.html, all coming down within 5 years.
That's an *average* of 5 or 6 a day for the next 5 years. And the v2's are bigger than the v1's. v2's are (conservatively) 1000kg and (conservatively) half aluminum. That's 2.5-3 tonnes of aluminum per day. 8 times the natural infall rate of aluminum (and there's lots of other scary things like lithium). What will that do to our atmosphere?
SpaceX is awful.
@sundogplanets It is!
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Can goats get wet? I learned about donkeys that they can't get wet, since they'll cool out too much. I would think that goats could take rain and just don't like it, true?
@knud @sundogplanets wow, colour me surprised. TIL about donkeys!
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@knud @sundogplanets wow, colour me surprised. TIL about donkeys!
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Interview 2 went much better (which is good, Saskatoon is where it's most likely that pieces would be found, if there are any pieces) and I remembered to say the email address I want people to send possible space junk finds to! AND I got a better camera setup and actually brushed my hair. But I'm somehow going to end up on CBC national news in my ratty farm sweatshirt AGAIN aren't I?
️ I pay much closer attention to interviews with people who really do look like they’ve just stepped out of their lab or office or classroom or goat pen than sleek coiffed media ready talking heads.Thank you for the time to give to the public good!
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Interview 2 went much better (which is good, Saskatoon is where it's most likely that pieces would be found, if there are any pieces) and I remembered to say the email address I want people to send possible space junk finds to! AND I got a better camera setup and actually brushed my hair. But I'm somehow going to end up on CBC national news in my ratty farm sweatshirt AGAIN aren't I?
@sundogplanets I like scientists in ratty farm shirts stepping out directly from life situations. I trust them more as if I have to question which company could have sponsored their expensive suit!
Und you will reach the farmers better who will be bombed with that waste! -
A scary quick calculation: there are 10,375 Starlink satellites in orbit https://planet4589.org/space/con/conlist.html, all coming down within 5 years.
That's an *average* of 5 or 6 a day for the next 5 years. And the v2's are bigger than the v1's. v2's are (conservatively) 1000kg and (conservatively) half aluminum. That's 2.5-3 tonnes of aluminum per day. 8 times the natural infall rate of aluminum (and there's lots of other scary things like lithium). What will that do to our atmosphere?
SpaceX is awful.
@sundogplanets
awesome, Humans invented yet another way to massively pollute the environment they depend on.
Aluminum rain, sweet
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A scary quick calculation: there are 10,375 Starlink satellites in orbit https://planet4589.org/space/con/conlist.html, all coming down within 5 years.
That's an *average* of 5 or 6 a day for the next 5 years. And the v2's are bigger than the v1's. v2's are (conservatively) 1000kg and (conservatively) half aluminum. That's 2.5-3 tonnes of aluminum per day. 8 times the natural infall rate of aluminum (and there's lots of other scary things like lithium). What will that do to our atmosphere?
SpaceX is awful.
@sundogplanets Glass-half full: If Musk tires of SpaceX all that crap will be out of orbit in short order.
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@sundogplanets Glass-half full: If Musk tires of SpaceX all that crap will be out of orbit in short order.
There is no glass half full, they are sending more of it up all the time. The entire trillion dollar SpaceX IPO is predicated on pumping this satellite sewage into LEO.
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A scary quick calculation: there are 10,375 Starlink satellites in orbit https://planet4589.org/space/con/conlist.html, all coming down within 5 years.
That's an *average* of 5 or 6 a day for the next 5 years. And the v2's are bigger than the v1's. v2's are (conservatively) 1000kg and (conservatively) half aluminum. That's 2.5-3 tonnes of aluminum per day. 8 times the natural infall rate of aluminum (and there's lots of other scary things like lithium). What will that do to our atmosphere?
SpaceX is awful.
August 5, 2026 isn't that far away ...
"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury
https://www.btboces.org/Downloads/7_There%20Will%20Come%20Soft%20Rains%20by%20Ray%20Bradbury.pdf -
️ I pay much closer attention to interviews with people who really do look like they’ve just stepped out of their lab or office or classroom or goat pen than sleek coiffed media ready talking heads.
Thank you for the time to give to the public good!
Wholeheartedly agree with David. It’s your expertise that matters, and no ratty sweatshirt is going to detract from that.
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OK, so just like me
The donkey's I am visiting ~1/year go into their stable or under their roof when it starts raining. I really like them.
(I don't have any image available, sorry!)
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August 5, 2026 isn't that far away ...
"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury
https://www.btboces.org/Downloads/7_There%20Will%20Come%20Soft%20Rains%20by%20Ray%20Bradbury.pdf@albertcardona I think about this short story quite frequently, but haven't read it in years! I didn't realize there's an exact date in it! Wow.
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A scary quick calculation: there are 10,375 Starlink satellites in orbit https://planet4589.org/space/con/conlist.html, all coming down within 5 years.
That's an *average* of 5 or 6 a day for the next 5 years. And the v2's are bigger than the v1's. v2's are (conservatively) 1000kg and (conservatively) half aluminum. That's 2.5-3 tonnes of aluminum per day. 8 times the natural infall rate of aluminum (and there's lots of other scary things like lithium). What will that do to our atmosphere?
SpaceX is awful.
@sundogplanets Amazon: wait wait, don't forget about me.
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There is no glass half full, they are sending more of it up all the time. The entire trillion dollar SpaceX IPO is predicated on pumping this satellite sewage into LEO.
@mastodonmigration @sundogplanets Better that the garbage isn't at orbits where it would hang around much longer.
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@mastodonmigration @sundogplanets Better that the garbage isn't at orbits where it would hang around much longer.
Indeed, at the current Starlink orbit it will all come down within 25 years. They want to start using higher orbits which will never come down.
https://mastodon.online/@mastodonmigration/116409691285680314
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Wholeheartedly agree with David. It’s your expertise that matters, and no ratty sweatshirt is going to detract from that.
@KimberlyN @DavidM_yeg @sundogplanets Yup. It's the old riddle about the two barbers. The harried-looking one? That's the one doing all the work.
