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I’d wondered about using moon bouncing in order to distribute video streaming keys (piracy) in a way which would make it impossible to locate the sender. Unlike
by jmpman 11mo ago
I’d wondered about using moon bouncing in order to distribute video streaming keys (piracy) in a way which would make it impossible to locate the sender. Unlikely to be viable at scale, as the moon isn’t always visible, but it’s an intriguing covert broadcast mechanism.
- npsomaratna 11mo agoI have no understanding of the physics involved, but could the broadcast location be reverse engineered? (With triangulation and clever math?)
- Redster 11mo agoYour location is very very visible to any plane or satellite passing overhead.
- freedomben 11mo agoIndeed, though it would take some coordination to actually narrow it down precisely. You'd need a few different planes/satellites to detect the signal and share their reading to allow triangulation. With only a single plane or a single satellite that is not in geosynchronous orbit, you could take multiple readings and get a rough idea of location, but the inability to turn from a straight line (not impossible for a plane of course, but it would require intentionality and willingness for the crew/commanders and typically not cheap as it disrupts whatever flight plan they previously had) would be a hindrance. That said, with how many satellites are up there I doubt it would take much extra effort to do that coordination if the satellite operators have motivation to do so.
- giantg2 11mo agoHighly directional antennas on a moving platform can perform effectively radio direction finding independently.
- hdjrnevehhe 11mo agoLet's remember that there is also a antenna array with LOS yo the mooon.....
- jmpman 11mo agoThe moon is visible to ?half? the earth at a time? That’s a huge search area. Certainly the antennas broadcasting to the moon are quite directional, and outside the main beam, would be hard to detect?
- miav 11mo agoI don’t understand how? Wouldn’t the signal be highly directional? Surely it wouldn’t be easily detectable unless the viewer’s POV intersects the path of the beam?
- wjholden 11mo agoHadn't thought of it from this perspective. An untraceable signal coming from the moon would also be useful for military communications. Electronic warfare and signals intelligence have been powerful tools for both sides in the Ukraine-Russia war.
- giantg2 11mo agoIt's not that untraceable when you have satellites that could pick it up before the bounce.