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Rocket Lab has put a highly reflective object into orbit around Earth:
US spaceflight startup Rocket Lab put three commercial satellites into orbit during its rocket launch this past weekend — but it turns out there was another satellite that hitched a ride on the vehicle too. The company's Electron rocket also put into orbit a previously undisclosed satellite made by Rocket Lab's CEO Peter Beck, called the Humanity Star. And the probe will supposedly become the "brightest thing in the night sky," the company announced today.
Shaped a bit like a disco ball, the Humanity Star is a 3-foot-wide carbon fiber sphere, made up of 65 panels that reflect the Sun's light. The satellite is supposed to spin in space, too, so it's constantly bouncing sunlight. In fact, the probe is so bright that people can see it with the naked eye. The Humanity Star's orbit also takes it all over Earth, so the satellite will be visible from every location on the planet at different times. Rocket Lab has set up a website that gives real-time updates about the Humanity Star's location. People can find out when the satellite will be closest to them, and then go outside to look for it.
The goal of the project is to create "a shared experience for all of humanity," according to Rocket Lab. "No matter where you are in the world, or what is happening in your life, everyone will be able to see the Humanity Star in the night sky," Beck said in a statement. "Our hope is that everyone looking at the Humanity Star will look past it to the vast expanse of the Universe and think a little differently about their lives, actions, and what is important for humanity." That includes coming together to solve major problems like climate change and resource shortages, Beck says.
Some astronomers are not happy about the geodesic sphere:
The only good thing about the "Humanity Star" (aka the NZ pollutes the night sky project) is that it burns up in 9 months. 9 months is way too far away IMHO.
— Ian Griffin (@iangriffin) January 24, 2018
Also at BBC.
Previously: Rocket Lab's Second "Electron" Rocket Launch Succeeds, Reaches Orbit
(Score: 5, Insightful) by bradley13 on Thursday January 25 2018, @08:45AM (8 children)
So I assume it will only be visible just before sunrise and just after sunset, and then only for a fairly small part of the planet at a time. Here's their tracking page [thehumanitystar.com]
It's a classic ego project: "I'm rich, all of my ideas must be great, who cares what anyone else might think". Visible space junk, gee, thanks, please don't ever do this again.
Everyone is somebody else's weirdo.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 25 2018, @08:51AM
An excellent example of "Kiwi innovation" - i.e. totally bollocks it up and then proud of it. Unfortunately unlike the neighbour's drone, its too high up to blast down with a shotgun. Idiots should be fined for this by the "court" in The Hague or something.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by anubi on Thursday January 25 2018, @08:57AM (4 children)
I actually like this thing... a demonstration that can actually be seen.
Countless school kids will see it, giving their science teachers a good "in" to excite the kids, and introduce them to the math behind the thing.
Thanks, Tachyon, for bringing it up. When I saw the story, it was just passing overhead. I had to run out to see it, but alas, even though it went right over me, it was in shadow, and I missed the show this time.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by pkrasimirov on Thursday January 25 2018, @11:10AM (2 children)
I agree, I like the idea and kudos for the implementation. Will be gazing for it.
(Score: 2) by zocalo on Thursday January 25 2018, @12:58PM (1 child)
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday January 25 2018, @11:59PM
I will forget about this before it ever becomes visible. There website said:
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1) by Muad'Dave on Thursday January 25 2018, @08:04PM
The space station is far brighter and far easier to see and track, plus it isn't coming down any time soon.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 25 2018, @03:49PM (1 child)
Hmm. Are there any space startups who are working on an anti-satellite projectile?
Maybe there should be .. .
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Thursday January 25 2018, @05:35PM
Replacing a known traceable object with a defined decaying trajectory, by a lot of untraceable shreds with unknown orbits? Sounds like a winner!
If it really pisses you off that much (first-world problem, I guess), ask Elon to put a can of black paint in the Roadster.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by aim on Thursday January 25 2018, @10:25AM (7 children)
There's a very bright thing up there that is easily visible to naked eye, called the ISS. It's also very easy to identify, being brighter than Venus and moving much too rapidly to be an airplane, not blinking either.
There's a great many other sats up there, that you can see at least occasionally, such as Iridium sats (look up iridium flare).
If you help your eyes with binoculars or telescopes, it will be rather hard to miss all those sats flying around. They also are a PITA for those of us trying to get decent pictures of the night sky, thankfully stacking software can get sat or airplane trails out of the picture.
Seriously, if you want to send up something into earth only for it to be seen, just stop right there, don't bother. You're no better than the next spammer.
(Score: 5, Funny) by bradley13 on Thursday January 25 2018, @10:35AM (6 children)
Ah, but this one spins, so it's blinking spam. We've been here before, on the Internet, about 20 years ago.
Everyone is somebody else's weirdo.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by takyon on Thursday January 25 2018, @10:40AM (2 children)
Maybe this sphere will unite humanity... in cooperating to destroy it before the 9 month atmospheric burn.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2, Insightful) by anubi on Thursday January 25 2018, @10:49AM
As far as I am concerned, one is nice, and quite sufficient.
The novelty will wear off, but so will the orbit.
I would not vote to destroy the moon either, but I would be quite pissed if Pepsi found some way of permanently coloring the moon to their logo - but if they did it for a week, and nobody would do that again... I'd think it quite cool.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 25 2018, @05:01PM
At least everybody will be grooving an dancing, the earth will become one big dance floor.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday January 25 2018, @06:14PM (2 children)
The guy who thought blinking text was a good idea, needs some professional help. I thought blinking was a horrendous thing. Still do, but it's been usurped by Auto-Playing Full Page Videos / Ads. Thankfully, uBlock Origin works great and the devs haven't been seduced by money a la AdBlock Plus.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Leebert on Thursday January 25 2018, @09:36PM (1 child)
The blink tag was based on a joke and implemented by a guy who had one too many at the bar one night: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blink_element [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday January 25 2018, @11:30PM
That explains a lot.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 25 2018, @11:10AM (2 children)
"Just three months after the 'Humanity Star' was launched, both Pespi and Coke put giant 4 foot advertising cylinders in to space. Neither company would comment on the contents of the satellites when interviewed, but independent and hobby astronomers have stated that they have observed protuberances and that the two were 'sparing'.
Race to the bottom much?
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday January 25 2018, @03:17PM (1 child)
What?
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Thursday January 25 2018, @07:08PM
Excuse me, but could you spare a can of cola?
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 25 2018, @01:14PM (1 child)
maybe if me and my neighbor point the wifi at that thing we can do some home-brew quantum entanglement communications.
Me shouting to neighbour:"No! point it up some more!"
Neighbour screaming back:"Like this?!"
...
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 26 2018, @04:43AM
Yeah, any other Hams want to try some 2 Meter bounce coms?
I have a 5 element Yagi-Uda antenna I built, that can work the ISS when they have a Ham on board.
I'm on the CA coast, so somebody far away would be most suitable.
We've got 9 months to try to make some contacts, might be geeky fun.
73, KE6EBZ
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 25 2018, @02:10PM (2 children)
It may be interesting toy, but the justification is amazingly stupid.
What if I go to the beach, and I throw a grain of deadly radioactive plutonium in the sand. "This is Humanity Grain of Sand, a shared experience for all of beach-goers. No matter where you are on the beach, everyone will be able to get cancer from the Humanity Grain of Sand. Everyone looking at the Humanity Grain of Sand will look past it to the vast expanse of the beach and think about what is important to Humanity".
If you need to give Humanity an insightful experience, how about looking at Venus? Jupiter? Betelgeuse? FFS
Unfortunately, this is a consequence of space technology advancement due to clueless rich guys.
(Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Thursday January 25 2018, @07:11PM
You would get more radiation exposure from the sun than from a grain of plutonium on a beach. The deadliness of plutonium is more notable for its toxicity in that quantity.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 26 2018, @04:48AM
Already been done, and you can thank the Department of Defense.
Just go to Washington State, they have a whole desert with Humanity Plutonium Bits all over it.
And they have a lot of trouble keeping it there too, sharing is caring, eh?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Thursday January 25 2018, @02:46PM (3 children)
This disco ball was an incredibly stupid idea.
If you're going to put up something that is "the brightest thing in the sky", then have the sense to put up a matrix of LEDs that form an advertising display screen. That way you can see animated Coke logos in the night sky, and well after sunset. Each LED would be separated from adjacent LEDs by some distance of wire. The matrix could start out small within the payload fairing and stretch itself out into a large but sparse surface area once deployed. Each LED module could have its own solar panel / battery. They act in a coordinated fashion to act as a single large 640 x 320 display.
"Just imagine the whole sky filled with these from edge to edge!", said the advertising executive. "It would be wonderful!" And then added, "Nobody's ad blockers will stop that! So there!"
If you think a fertilized egg is a child but an immigrant child is not, please don't pretend your concerns are religious
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 25 2018, @03:45PM
> "Nobody's ad blockers will stop that! So there!"
Silver iodine, seed the clouds so it stays cloudy...
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 25 2018, @03:51PM
You seem to vastly overestimate the brightness of LED lights, and/or vastly underestimate the brightness of the Sun.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday January 25 2018, @06:29PM
Define brightest thing in the sky? https://what-if.xkcd.com/151/ [xkcd.com]
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 25 2018, @04:54PM
It's like a great marquee GIF floating in the sky.