Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI
 ·Site5.com
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|  Interesting...but do we have the space?
I really think this is a neat story. This is like October Sky in the present.
However, I really don't see people launching their own satellites into orbit for internet access. It is too expensive, especially for mechanical support and upkeep in space. There is also a finite amount of space in orbit. Right now, we have many satellites just drifting in orbit. I really can see a lot of collisions as we launch more satellites.
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Nightfall - »www.nightfall.net |
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richb01803
Rich
join:2001-02-14
02100 | I think there are something like 100,000 pieces of space junk and/or operational satellites tracked in one of the NASA databases.
Adding a few hundred more amateur satellites might add to the dangers of collision, but not by much. |
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djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA | Pictures?
It is a neat story. It's too bad they didn't have a picture of it!
-- Rob |
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InitZero
@tribune.com | Pictures can be found here...
»www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/pcsat.html |
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buckbu
join:2001-12-27
Owings Mills, MD | Competition for Hughes/DPC?
It looks like Petdude (Sat forum moderator) and some middies are trying to give DirecPC some competition...any FAP on this bird?
--buckbu
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...cogitae, minimae, copulae... |
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kilingspam
join:2001-04-30
San Jose, CA |  I am willing to donate!
I have my Old Datsun 210 in the driveway I am willing to donate to be launched into orbit.
Any takers? =o)
The jackstands holding it up are included!!! |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02
Host:
Road Runner
PC gaming GAMES
PC gaming Tech
| reply to djrobx
Re: Pictures?
- |
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Lingus
U.S. Navy AE3
Premium
join:2001-10-04
Greensburg, PA
clubs:
| reply to richb01803
Re: Interesting...but do we have the space?
Dangers of Collision?
Don't be silly. They are in SPACE for crying out loud! Do you know how much SPACE there is in SPACE! The possibility of a satellite colliding with another satellite is practically zero. Think about this, in order to get two satellites to actually collide with one another you would probably have to do some serious planning and calculations first. 
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PARENTAL ADVISORY! Don't let your kids read what I say! |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02
Host:
Road Runner
PC gaming GAMES
PC gaming Tech
| It's not other satellites they worry about hitting, like everything we humans touch, the immediate space around the earth is pretty cluttered with junk, metal, bits, bolts, and nuggets:
»www.theatlantic.com/issues/98jul/junk.htm
»www.space.com/spacewatch/space_junk.html
»octopus.gma.org/surfing/satellit···unk.html |
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nc1165
join:2001-04-10
Delray Beach, FL
| reply to kilingspam
Re: I am willing to donate!
said by kilingspam:
I have my Old Datsun 210 in the driveway I am willing to donate to be launched into orbit.
Any takers? =o)
The jackstands holding it up are included!!!
I'd pay just to see it burn on re-entry. Sell raffle tickets to try and pick where it hits.
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If my enemy cuts me, I will drown him in my own blood. |
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clecssuck
join:2002-01-23
Birmingham, AL | reply to Nightfall
Re: Interesting...but do we have the space?
I was amazed when I read this until I thought about the space issue as well...we don't need a junk yard floating above us. What goes up must come down
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Well never forget Dale Earnhardt #3 |
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Lingus
U.S. Navy AE3
Premium
join:2001-10-04
Greensburg, PA
clubs:
| reply to Karl Bode
What is Junk to you?
To me this whole planet, the moon, the sun, the comets, the asteroids, and even the astronauts own urine is all the same as space junk. Just because there is a couple of nuts in bolts in SPACE seems like no harm to me. Nah, to me I would be more worried about the sun's radiation first. Second the effects of a vacuum. See I don't share any negative feelings towards any human created "JUNK" that we put into SPACE. If you think about it, that metal in that bolt has always existed in SPACE it just was in another form in the core of the earth. So I say relax. Another big bang will eventually come along in blast us all into some other form of matter and the cycle will continue.
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PARENTAL ADVISORY! Don't let your kids read what I say! |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02 | At 28,000 kilometres per hour, a single particle of dust has enough power to shatter the hull.
I'm sure engineers appreciate your suggestion of relaxing, but to avoid DEATH, they have to track every bit... |
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depster
join:2001-06-07
Grand Rapids, MI | reply to nc1165
Re: I am willing to donate!
Or we could put a target out in the middle of the ocean.  |
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Lingus
U.S. Navy AE3
Premium
join:2001-10-04
Greensburg, PA
clubs:
| reply to Karl Bode
Re: Interesting...but do we have the space?
I understand they must track it, but hey when your crazy enough to go into space well thats the chance you take. Another thing if a piece of space junk lands on me, please please, make sure you have my body stuffed and mounted on a wall in the smithsonian with a sign that says "This A**hole got hit by a piece of space junk isn't he lucky!" Make sure you put a big smile on my face too like I just won the lottery if possible.
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PARENTAL ADVISORY! Don't let your kids read what I say! |
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Eatmeingreek
Gentard
join:2001-06-29
San Francisco, CA
| reply to clecssuck
said by clecssuck:
What goes up must come down
Yeah, but most will burn up on reentry. Only really big things survive re-entry without shielding. And considering how expensive launch costs are, we don't have to worry about the public at large launching really big stuff. (Like say, a Datsun, for example.)
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Honey, the fairies are going to drive me to drink - My brother. |
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Eatmeingreek
Gentard
join:2001-06-29
San Francisco, CA
| reply to kilingspam
Re: I am willing to donate!
Well, it costs about $10,000 per pound to put things in orbit. It would cost about $20,200,000 to launch your Datsun 210.
That's enough to pay for an OC-3 to my house for the next 21 years.
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Honey, the fairies are going to drive me to drink - My brother.
[text was edited by author 2002-01-23 16:51:09] |
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birdfeedr
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-11
Warwick, RI
 ·Verizon FIOS
| said by Eatmeingreek:
That's enough to pay for an OC-3 to my house for the next 21 years.
(tongueincheek) In 18 years we'll be griping the OC-3 isn't fast enough pipe to deliver the _______ (fill in the blank).
The price is too high, not enough competition, providers going out of business and leaving customers stranded. Oh, my, worry, worry, worry.(/tongueincheek)
Larry |
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djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA | reply to buckbu
Re: Competition for Hughes/DPC?
"We hope you will adhere to the User Service Agreement (1 packet per 2 minutes maximum for now) so that as many people as possible get to operate via PCsat reliably. " |
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KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
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| reply to Lingus
Re: Interesting...but do we have the space?
The problem is simple. We've got all kinds of junk in earth orbit... much of it unintentional and too small to be tracked. It's really been a miracle at this point that nobody has been killed by space debris collision. Satellites have died from it. The problem is simple physics... you have a small object, which has very little mass, let's say it's a screw the size of one of the screws which holds PC slot covers on.... Now, it's in Earth orbit, so it's circling the earth at thousands of miles per hour.... and it's too small to track.
So, along comes XYZ company, and they launch their new multi-billion dollar communication satellite into earth orbit... unfortunately that orbit has a intersection with the aforementioned screw. When that screw hits it, well, for comparison, imagine what would happen to your car if it was hit by a tank shell. You get the idea.... and the collision itself would release numerous MORE debris.
SPACE itself may be massive..... But the space around the Earth isn't, and that's where 99.9% of the junk goes. |
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