It's a Good Cloud Day.
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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.
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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 @sundogplanets Oooh, going to set my alarm clock, lol.
Done!
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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.
And the US government keeps giving "approval" for more, although this is ostensibly only approval for launch, not for occupation of an orbit.
Effectively claiming jurisdiction over Low Earth Orbit, which is colonialism on a global scale.
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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 the plus side is you won’t look like a slick PR shill.
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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 As a Chinese citizen, I hope to one day use Starlink to bypass the GFW and access the open Internet. SpaceX is doing amazing work!
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@sundogplanets As a Chinese citizen, I hope to one day use Starlink to bypass the GFW and access the open Internet. SpaceX is doing amazing work!
@nixzhu I'm sorry that's what you are forced to depend on. Enjoy it before SpaceX starts Kessler Syndrome, I guess?
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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 @sundogplanets Also have an animated version
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Had the idea it involved an ablation cascade aka Kessler syndrome.
@angelastella @Perrin42 @sundogplanets
Of a rather larger initial mass!
The Moon. -
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 IDK I feel like the ratty farm sweatshirt helps your message feel authentic
"I came to Saskatchewan to raise goats and watch stars BUT THESE JERKS STARTED DROPPING STUFF" is compelling
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@angelastella @Perrin42 @sundogplanets
Of a rather larger initial mass!
The Moon.@Photo55 @Perrin42 @sundogplanets
Remembering now! yeah, I really must read the book.
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@sundogplanets As a Chinese citizen, I hope to one day use Starlink to bypass the GFW and access the open Internet. SpaceX is doing amazing work!
@nixzhu
But you don't need anything in low earth orbit ( #LEO ) for that.
Arthur C Clarke originally pointed out that 3 satellites in the geostationary orbit could provide up, down, and sideways, communication for the whole planet surface.You probably want a shorter delay and a lower power budget for your relay than that, but I submit that you do not need to reduce either to the levels LEO allows. Something between GEO and LEO would work nicely and be easier to track for comms.
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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
unintended terraforming?
"Scientists are eager to understand how these particles of aerospace debris interact with other aerosols in the stratosphere because of anticipated increases in space traffic and their potential impact on the ozone layer. They also want to explore the impact of possible future proposals to seed the stratosphere with millions of tons of sulfur aerosols to slow the rate of global warming by reflecting sunlight back to space."
https://research.noaa.gov/noaa-scientists-link-exotic-metal-particles-in-the-upper-atmosphere-to-rockets-satellites/ -
@Photo55 @Perrin42 @sundogplanets
Remembering now! yeah, I really must read the book.
@angelastella
It is really quite good.Separately, one of the discussions I've seen in #SciFi is of the minimum size of society for prolonged survival in Space.
Large.
