NZ's first Satellite

[pmrid (Peter)]

Originally Posted by rally

But unfortunately I also feel compelled to add - the egocentric, look at me approach of Beckett is nothing more than a hitech equivalent of an attention seeking Youtube hit - at the expense of clear skies.

This would also apply, by necessary extension, to Elon Musk sending his sports car on a one-way trip to Mars? But oddly, I haven't heard any negative comment on that. Am I missing something?

Peter

[StuTodd]

If it is going to Mars then we won't be able to see it every few days. First I have heard of it but, yeah, equally stupid.

It does hold some scientific value though as it proves that it doesn't matter how innovative and clever one may be, the ego will always win out.

[N1 (Mirko)]

Originally Posted by StuTodd

If it is going to Mars then we won't be able to see it every few days. First I have heard of it but, yeah, equally stupid.

It does hold some scientific value though as it proves that it doesn't matter how innovative and clever one may be, the ego will always win out.

Clever this guy may be (marketing wise especially), but innovative? He's taken a technology that wastes lots of the energy it receives and changed where that energy comes from...

I think it's only going to Mars orbit too. Apparently landing something there without breaking it is a little more demanding.

[pmrid (Peter)]

Originally Posted by N1

Clever this guy may be (marketing wise especially), but innovative? He's taken a technology that wastes lots of the energy it receives and changed where that energy comes from...

I think it's only going to Mars orbit too. Apparently landing something there without breaking it is a little more demanding.

If it's going into orbit, that is another example of pollution not unlike the NZ geodesic special that has been mentioned in the posts below. The Musk press release says his little car will orbit for a billion years. So Mars gets a third moon. How much hubris can one man have? Because it won't (barring accidents etc) contact Mars' surface, it presumably doesn't violate the various laws governing the use and abuse of space. But even though it may not be illegal by the letter, it's as wrong as hell by the spirit of the various treaties and international agreements.

It makes the NZ effort pale by comparison.

Peter

[astroron (Ron)]

Originally Posted by pmrid

This would also apply, by necessary extension, to Elon Musk sending his sports car on a one-way trip to Mars? But oddly, I haven't heard any negative comment on that. Am I missing something?

Peter

Yes Peter,the hero worship of Musk has no bounds.
It seems he can do no wrong in very many people's eyes.
From Presidents, Prime Ministers to Paupers he is like a god
Maybe it's because he is a capitalist god.
Cheers

[pluto (Hugh)]

Elon Musk is not sending his car to Mars.
The media has really done a terrible job at understanding and reporting on this.
If all goes well the Tesla will be placed into a Heliocentric Mars transfer orbit - so it will be in orbit around the Sun with its periapsis at a distance from the Sun equal to the Earth and an apoapsis at a distance equal to Mars' orbit. When the Tesla gets to the distance of Mars' orbit, Mars won't be there!
TLDR: At no point will the Tesla be anywhere near Mars.

It does sound silly but it makes sense. For example it will demonstrate the ability of the rocket to deliver at least a couple of tons into a Heliocentric orbit, plus it will give SpaceX real world experience with the type of flying nessesary to get stuff to Mars. Plus it's obviously some good advertising for Tesla.

[LewisM]

Originally Posted by pluto

Elon Musk is not sending his car to Mars.
The media has really done a terrible job at understanding and reporting on this.
If all goes well the Tesla will be placed into a Heliocentric Mars transfer orbit - so it will be in orbit around the Sun with its periapsis at a distance from the Sun equal to the Earth and an apoapsis at a distance equal to Mars' orbit. When the Tesla gets to the distance of Mars' orbit, Mars won't be there!
TLDR: At no point will the Tesla be anywhere near Mars.

It does sound silly but it makes sense. For example it will demonstrate the ability of the rocket to deliver at least a couple of tons into a Heliocentric orbit, plus it will give SpaceX real world experience with the type of flying nessesary to get stuff to Mars. Plus it's obviously some good advertising for Tesla.

But..but...there's no charging stations out there...

[pluto (Hugh)]

Originally Posted by LewisM

But..but...there's no charging stations out there...

Haha

It's probably been stripped of its batteries too - Li-Ion batteries being prone to combustion when damaged probably means their presence isn't worth the risk.

[The_bluester (Paul)]

Have to admit that I was and remain somewhat taken aback by the responses in this thread. While it is a fairly pointless object you would have to regard it as simply "Test load"

Given the size and shape of the thing it is certainly NOT going to be the brightest object in the sky and the linked article in the first post said as much. Would anyone actually expect this thing to be brighter than the ISS that we actively go out there and try to watch pass over and take photos of? Or of Iridium flares that many of us look forward to just as much? One of which is a matter of hundreds of square meters of reasonably reflective surface area and the other of a couple of square meters of polished antenna. This thing might be polished but it is simply not going to reflect that kind of light in one direction.


As to catching on, seriously? After someone has done it once, what company is going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to launch a single purpose object (That purpose being "Look at me, we proved that we can launch this") that only space wonks like us are likely to identify, and that only if we go and look at the ephemeris data (Or if it's "flashing" is distinctive enough to identify it positively on sight) or go to a website that has done the data trawl for us, and only if we are quick enough to do so before it falls back to earth?

From the space graffiti article "Jamming a brilliantly glinting sphere into the heavens feels similarly abusive"

Wonder what he would have made of Sputnik?

[LewisM]

Bit of a storm in a teacup. Ruining images? HA. Not likely.

I still say good on the Kiwis. Done what Australia has failed to do. Even the Bluestreak/Europa weren't ours - we just looked on with gaping mouths.

[SimmoW (SIMON)]

I think we are all able to voice our opinion. Its just a forum.

I was initially aghast, but then felt pleased that at least the kiwis were doing something! And its only up for 90 days or so.

Maybe the aussies should fast track a kiwi killer sat and gobble it up like a Bond villain..Im thinking a giant reflective stubby or prawn...

[N1 (Mirko)]

Originally Posted by pluto

Haha

It's probably been stripped of its batteries too - Li-Ion batteries being prone to combustion when damaged probably means their presence isn't worth the risk.

Nor is their weight worth the extra fuel I expect...

Originally Posted by LewisM

Bit of a storm in a teacup. Ruining images? HA. Not likely.

Yep, and I'd like to see some of those images "ruined" by the disco ball please I just can't see how this thing will be any brighter, or even I]as [/I]bright as the ISS

[baileys2611 (Simon Bailey)]

I'm listening hard but I don't hear any 'umph tss umph tss umph tss' music every 90 minutes when the disco ball passes over head.

[LewisM]

This disco ball is set up in such a way such that when it enters the atmosphere, the friction will create a resonance in the ball from start to finish that screams "SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET as bro" and disintegrates.

[baileys2611 (Simon Bailey)]

The remnants of which thump into cars somewhere on a freeway in NZ causing a mass issuance of pinkies.

[pluto (Hugh)]

Just noticed Heavens Above is listing a couple of (barely) visible passes soon from Sydney:
http://heavens-above.com/PassSummary...&alt=1&tz=AEST

[baileys2611 (Simon Bailey)]

Originally Posted by pluto

Just noticed Heavens Above is listing a couple of (barely) visible passes soon from Sydney:
http://heavens-above.com/PassSummary...&alt=1&tz=AEST

I got 'object F' looking at the link.

Did you mean this one?

[pluto (Hugh)]

Originally Posted by baileys2611

I got 'object F' looking at the link.

Did you mean this one?

Yes!
That's weird because I had that page open for a few days and it definitely was Humanity Star when I first opened it but after refreshing a few times I guess it changed... perhaps HA changed the name or something...?
Either way, good catch! Thanks

[N1 (Mirko)]

Originally Posted by pluto

Just noticed Heavens Above is listing a couple of (barely) visible passes soon from Sydney:
http://heavens-above.com/PassSummary...&alt=1&tz=AEST

Faint as bro

[pluto (Hugh)]

Originally Posted by N1

Faint as bro

Also it looks like the Electrons reign as the smallest operational orbital launcher was short lived. Not really in the same class but interesting: https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/02/0...r-test-launch/