Sadly, that just means 40 replacements to be launched and so 40 more satellites mucking up astronomy.
Well it doesn’t mean net 40 more, since the 40 lost ones are going to burn up on re-entry since they never achieved their final orbit. But yeah, Starlink is only growing this year so if you are an amateur astronomer I bet that’s going to be a nuisance.
It’s not just the amateur astronomers getting Starlink streaks all over their images.
Never tried to assert it was, just didn’t think I was replying to a professional astronomer.
Love how lo-tec this stuff looks.
This is pretty fucking cool:
Last year, was a great year for space, a big increase in the number of launches, people in space, payloads etc. The busiest year of the century. But what is depressing, is that many records set in late 60s and early 70s, number of lunches, payload, not to mention humans exploring another planet, still stand 50 years later.
The Starship launch with twice the thrust of the Saturn V is the first, what I call big milestone records we’ve broken in 50 years. Obviously, reusable rockets is also huge.
My first time on the internet involved photos from Mars. The progress has remained astounding. It’s just not a Cold War pissing contest anymore.
It was only five years ago that Elon gave this crazy talk in Mexico about how he was going to build self-sustaining colony on Mars with 10,000 people, thanks to his BFR.
Now, in front of an almost 400-foot rocket, that is sets to launch in a few months. He gave us an update.
RichVR
4966
I don’t think that we have the infrastructure for a Mars colony. But we could start a moon colony, and much cheaper. Let’s see how that works out. And it could be a stepping stone to Mars. Eventually.
CraigM
4967
The advantages to a Mars colony over a moon one, is that there is more resource availability in situ, things like water and surface metals. Additionally there is the theoretical possibility of creating an atmosphere on Mars, over decades/ centuries, that could provide viable habitation.
Not that you are wrong that the distance and gravity wells of the respective locations make the moon technologically easier short term. But it would only ever be viable with constant earthbound supply.
There is also more scientific value on Mars, especially if traces of life can be detected.
RichVR
4968
Agreed. But I worry about actual viability. How much can we do on Mars, today? What can we do now, that is reachable? The moon seems to be the way to start.
Today? Nothing, we can’t even stop ruining one planet while thinking of burning a lot more fuel to be able to ruin another.
Ironically the end result would likely be us releasing vast quantities of greenhouse gasses over there to make it habitable.
A nice long tube seems like an obvious solution.
I think we will eventually want to terraform earth back to a cooler planet. I think experimenting with terrafroming on Mars, before trying it on the earth is prudent. Even though, generally speaking we want the climate of Earth and Mars to go in opposite directions.
We’re already terraforming Earth. So just in the direction that makes it unliveable for us.
