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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: 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"