A couple of weeks ago I ran into an old article on Gizmodo entitled, “Hey Artists, Stop Putting Shiny Crap Into Space.” The thrust of the article is simple. Putting things into space is now so cheap that we can do it just for art’s sake. They point to this installation, called the Orbital Reflector.
The project finally did launch back at the end of 2018, but failed in perhaps the stupidest possible way. According to the official press release, NASA literally lost it. They couldn’t find its radio signature because they couldn’t distinguish it from other things that might have been it. Then, the US Government shut down, putting the whole effort on hold. When things did pick up, NASA still couldn’t find it. The plan was to “deorbit” the whole thing after only three months, but now it’s up there forever. At least it probably is, since no one really knows.
But it does really seem like we’re putting stuff up there now just for the sheer fun of it. Love or hate him, Elon Musk seems to be at the center of this controversy — what a surprise, right? Musk used his original Tesla roadster, decked out with a mannequin in a spacesuit, as ballast for one of his rocket launches. You’ve probably heard of this by now, since it was several years ago, but here’s a recap video just in case:
I would call that the official start to the “launch crap into space” movement, wouldn’t you? Luckily for us, Musk and SpaceX have been launching a lot more productive things into space since that one event. They’re one of the most reliable providers of transportation to the international space station. Of course, speaking of that space station… it’s going to become junk within about 7 years. The last missions there will end before 2030 and theoretically something else will replace it. At that point the plan is to crash it into the ocean. Hopefully that works out for everyone. Personally I’m glad I’m not the one in charge of that project.
… as I said in this article from a while back. There is a lot of space in space and it’s hard to imagine the day when we have to worry about finding our way through a cloud of junk just to get out of orbit. Still, it seems to be kind of wasteful, right? I mean launching stuff into space just to say we launched it doesn’t seem like a responsible business model.
So this latest big shiny thing is an art installation and it was expected to burn up harmlessly after about two months. But that didn’t happen. Someone thought it would be fun to do it and for all we know that thing could be up there for hundreds of years. What a waste. I think art should enhance the human experience, not create a hazard to navigation that our great-great-great grandchildren might have to deal with.
I get it. If people hadn’t taken chances we’d all be living in Europe, Asia, or Africa right now. If people hadn’t taken chances, we wouldn’t have radio or television or satellites or any of the neat things about 2024. So obviously sometimes you have to take a chance.
But launching something into space just because? Maybe you’re taking a chance, and maybe you’re taking a risk. One’s good, one’s not so good. Which is it? You decide.
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The project finally did launch back at the end of 2018, but failed in perhaps the stupidest possible way. According to the official press release, NASA literally lost it. They couldn’t find its radio signature because they couldn’t distinguish it from other things that might have been it. Then, the US Government shut down, putting the whole effort on hold. When things did pick up, NASA still couldn’t find it. The plan was to “deorbit” the whole thing after only three months, but now it’s up there forever. At least it probably is, since no one really knows.
Hey, I love space as much as the next geek.
But it does really seem like we’re putting stuff up there now just for the sheer fun of it. Love or hate him, Elon Musk seems to be at the center of this controversy — what a surprise, right? Musk used his original Tesla roadster, decked out with a mannequin in a spacesuit, as ballast for one of his rocket launches. You’ve probably heard of this by now, since it was several years ago, but here’s a recap video just in case:
I would call that the official start to the “launch crap into space” movement, wouldn’t you? Luckily for us, Musk and SpaceX have been launching a lot more productive things into space since that one event. They’re one of the most reliable providers of transportation to the international space station. Of course, speaking of that space station… it’s going to become junk within about 7 years. The last missions there will end before 2030 and theoretically something else will replace it. At that point the plan is to crash it into the ocean. Hopefully that works out for everyone. Personally I’m glad I’m not the one in charge of that project.
I’m not worried about space junk…
… as I said in this article from a while back. There is a lot of space in space and it’s hard to imagine the day when we have to worry about finding our way through a cloud of junk just to get out of orbit. Still, it seems to be kind of wasteful, right? I mean launching stuff into space just to say we launched it doesn’t seem like a responsible business model.
What if it’s art?
So this latest big shiny thing is an art installation and it was expected to burn up harmlessly after about two months. But that didn’t happen. Someone thought it would be fun to do it and for all we know that thing could be up there for hundreds of years. What a waste. I think art should enhance the human experience, not create a hazard to navigation that our great-great-great grandchildren might have to deal with.
Why take a chance?
I get it. If people hadn’t taken chances we’d all be living in Europe, Asia, or Africa right now. If people hadn’t taken chances, we wouldn’t have radio or television or satellites or any of the neat things about 2024. So obviously sometimes you have to take a chance.
But launching something into space just because? Maybe you’re taking a chance, and maybe you’re taking a risk. One’s good, one’s not so good. Which is it? You decide.
The post FUN FRIDAY: Shiny crap into space appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
