4 ms·

You know those airplanes with a banner at the beach? I can imagine a constellation of satellites writing ads (live) in space using mirrors and other nifty tech

You know those airplanes with a banner at the beach? I can imagine a constellation of satellites writing ads (live) in space using mirrors and other nifty tech. Unless regulation stops it.

ibizaman 2y ago
That’s so true. I can see it too. The technology to make that must be super fun to work on but please I hope this will never happen. Can you imagine turning the whole sky as a giant pixelated screen to constantly show us ads? That’s as dystopian as it gets. Add to that the probable less than secure software to run it and hackers trying to show stuff up there. That’s something out of a Douglas Adams book. xD
- disconcision 2y ago
  earliest sci-fi antecedent i know off: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Sold_the_Moon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Sold_the_Moon
blululu 2y ago
There was a Russian start up planning to do this a few years back. They had actually reached a deal with Pepsi’s Russian operations until the public backlash convinced them to find a different public relations strategy. https://phys.org/news/2019-01-astronomers-russian-billboards-space.amp https://phys.org/news/2019-01-astronomers-russian-billboards...
jfengel 2y ago
I don't think such a thing could hold together very long, unless it was just a string in a line. Maybe in Morse code? With multiple launches you could probably get several parallel strings, and use it like a dot matrix printer. It would be a heck of a stunt. But I wouldn't expect it to last for more than one orbit, and only part of the planet could see it.
- ordu 2y ago
  You can change brightness and color of individual satellites as they move, so they would match the "pixel" they are in now. Just imagine swarm of very small emitting light bugs moving chaotically behind your screen and changing colors as they move from one pixel to an other. The only issue is to make sure that at every moment each pixel has enough bugs to get the required brightness.
dreamcompiler 2y ago
> Unless regulation stops it. Or a ground-based megawatt IR laser with steerable optics.
- fch42 2y ago
  Somehow, this sounds quite appealing. I'm waiting for the dystopian SciFi novel now where earth's last survivors blast the escape route through that cloud of satellite rubbish for their Starship (TM), by use of an array of those. One can always dream.
bethekidyouwant 2y ago
Like regulation stopped trawling the ocean floor?
wat10000 2y ago
Anyone attempting such a thing needs to be instantly put to death. I’m fine with putting dots in the sky as a necessary side effect of providing some sort of useful service. Worldwide connectivity seems worth making astronomical observations a bit harder. But visual pollution for its own sake should be harshly discouraged.

You know those airplanes with a banner at the beach? I can imagine a constellation of satellites writing ads (live) in space using mirrors and other nifty tech. Unless regulation stops it.

ibizaman 2y ago

That’s so true. I can see it too. The technology to make that must be super fun to work on but please I hope this will never happen. Can you imagine turning the whole sky as a giant pixelated screen to constantly show us ads? That’s as dystopian as it gets. Add to that the probable less than secure software to run it and hackers trying to show stuff up there. That’s something out of a Douglas Adams book. xD

disconcision 2y ago
earliest sci-fi antecedent i know off: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Sold_the_Moon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Sold_the_Moon

blululu 2y ago

There was a Russian start up planning to do this a few years back. They had actually reached a deal with Pepsi’s Russian operations until the public backlash convinced them to find a different public relations strategy. https://phys.org/news/2019-01-astronomers-russian-billboards-space.amp https://phys.org/news/2019-01-astronomers-russian-billboards...

jfengel 2y ago

I don't think such a thing could hold together very long, unless it was just a string in a line. Maybe in Morse code? With multiple launches you could probably get several parallel strings, and use it like a dot matrix printer. It would be a heck of a stunt. But I wouldn't expect it to last for more than one orbit, and only part of the planet could see it.

ordu 2y ago
You can change brightness and color of individual satellites as they move, so they would match the "pixel" they are in now. Just imagine swarm of very small emitting light bugs moving chaotically behind your screen and changing colors as they move from one pixel to an other. The only issue is to make sure that at every moment each pixel has enough bugs to get the required brightness.

dreamcompiler 2y ago

> Unless regulation stops it. Or a ground-based megawatt IR laser with steerable optics.

fch42 2y ago
Somehow, this sounds quite appealing. I'm waiting for the dystopian SciFi novel now where earth's last survivors blast the escape route through that cloud of satellite rubbish for their Starship (TM), by use of an array of those. One can always dream.

bethekidyouwant 2y ago

Like regulation stopped trawling the ocean floor?

wat10000 2y ago

Anyone attempting such a thing needs to be instantly put to death. I’m fine with putting dots in the sky as a necessary side effect of providing some sort of useful service. Worldwide connectivity seems worth making astronomical observations a bit harder. But visual pollution for its own sake should be harshly discouraged.