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SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

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Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#21

Post by threeseed »

sneak wrote: post #12
whoisburbansky wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure would have been nice if all of that had been co-ordinated with astronomers so we wouldn't have to impose the negative externality of not being able to observe the heavens anymore as a price paid for faster internet.

Most places that will be Starlink customers have no internet of any kind available, and the situation even at maximum possible negative observation impact of Starlink is not accurately described as "not being able to observe the heavens anymore".

Pretty sure this statement isn't accurate.

a) Even in the outbacks of Australia people still have access to the internet via satellite services. In fact very few places in the world, if any, have access to no internet at all rather it's just slow and expensive e.g. Iridium.

b) Starlink needs ground stations to work which means it isn't going to be usable in totally rural areas. And even then it will be interesting to see how it competes with fixed wireless e.g. microwave.

Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#22

Post by 11thEarlOfMar »

fasteddie31003 wrote: post #6

I am so happy Elon Musk exists today. The world is a much more interesting place to live in. I was outside the other night on a walk and all the sudden I see a 60 satellite Starlink fleet above me and it honestly brought me to tears. He has made science fiction real and has progressed all of humanity more than anyone else alive today IMO. I can't wait for the Elon hate replies.

I had the same reaction the first time I saw the tandem Falcon landing. Very moving to hear the cheering and realizing how meaningful it was.

Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#24

Post by threeseed »

Baeocystin wrote: post #20
nitrogen wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...for a little while after sunset, and mostly while a new launch of sats is deploying.

Eh... There's a little more to it than that. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/starlink-satellit... has more details. My personal opinion is that access to the global internet is important enough to justify the light pollution in the night sky. But I understand that not everyone thinks so, and regardless, steps to limit the constellations' impact are important to take.

I would love to be corrected but Starlink doesn't seem like a solution for true global internet.

As you can see in this diagram which is the approved ground stations for Australia: https://i.redd.it/f7u55u7edbz51.jpg

It is really only competing with existing internet service providers and likely will not be profitable to roll out to even the rest of Australia let alone places like Africa.

Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#25

Post by Laremere »

fasteddie31003 wrote: post #11
whoisburbansky wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure would have been nice if all of that had been co-ordinated with astronomers so we wouldn't have to impose the negative externality of not being able to observe the heavens anymore as a price paid for faster internet.

Why can't astronomers have algorithms that selectively throw away data from pixels that are known to have a satellite or a plane in then? It seems like a problem that software can solve. Granted it's more effort on the side of astronomers.

It depends on how the picture was captured - if it's merging many pictures it's possible to throw out ones with Satellites. However if it's a single long exposure, then that won't work. I think a shutter on the telescope that automatically closes when a satellite is in the viewing area is a more approachable method.

Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#26

Post by centimeter »

threeseed wrote: post #24
Baeocystin wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh... There's a little more to it than that. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/starlink-satellit... has more details. My personal opinion is that access to the global internet is important enough to justify the light pollution in the night sky. But I understand that not everyone thinks so, and regardless, steps to limit the constellations' impact are important to take.

I would love to be corrected but Starlink doesn't seem like a solution for true global internet. As you can see in this diagram which is the approved ground stations for Australia: https://i.redd.it/f7u55u7edbz51.jpg It is really only competing with existing internet service providers and likely will not be profitable to roll out to even the rest of Australia let alone places like Africa.

I believe the eventual goal is to add satellite-to-satellite links, to permit routing to more remote areas (albeit with increased latency).

Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#29

Post by mhh__ »

fasteddie31003 wrote: post #6

I am so happy Elon Musk exists today. The world is a much more interesting place to live in. I was outside the other night on a walk and all the sudden I see a 60 satellite Starlink fleet above me and it honestly brought me to tears. He has made science fiction real and has progressed all of humanity more than anyone else alive today IMO. I can't wait for the Elon hate replies.

> has progressed all of humanity more than anyone else alive today IMO

Tim Berners-Lee is alive, for a simple but not maximal example of someone I think could reasonably be said to have advanced humanity more than Musk.

Re: SpaceX Starship Users' Guide [pdf]

#30

Post by ericd »

threeseed wrote: post #24
Baeocystin wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh... There's a little more to it than that. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/starlink-satellit... has more details. My personal opinion is that access to the global internet is important enough to justify the light pollution in the night sky. But I understand that not everyone thinks so, and regardless, steps to limit the constellations' impact are important to take.

I would love to be corrected but Starlink doesn't seem like a solution for true global internet. As you can see in this diagram which is the approved ground stations for Australia: https://i.redd.it/f7u55u7edbz51.jpg It is really only competing with existing internet service providers and likely will not be profitable to roll out to even the rest of Australia let alone places like Africa.

They're already testing satellite-to-satellite, which for long hops, has the potential to actually be faster than terrestrial fiber, since light is significantly faster in vacuum. Access won't be limited to those near ground stations.
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