Prof. Sam LawlerMar 13, 2024

There are currently 5,591 Starlink satellites in orbit, launched in the last 5 years https://planet4589.org/space/con/conlist.html

There are 5,595 known exoplanets https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/ discovered in the last 30 years

Starlink is about to have more sats in orbit than known exoplanets, and with each launch, make it harder to do astronomy research

Imagine what astronomy (or any part of science) could do with the shittons of money that have been spent on occupying (and likely soon destroying) low earth orbit?

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Show threadHelen GrahamMar 13, 2024
@sundogplanets I posted on a off grid site about non satalite internet options and I was really shocked how many people were very pro starlink and nobody at all had issues with the number of satalites or the impact on the night sky or likely issues when they all eventually end up fakling back to earth.And those are theoretically enviromentaly friendly ,ecologically aware people
Show threadProf. Sam LawlerMar 13, 2024

@Helengraham Most people have NO IDEA about all the problems. That's why I keep yelling about it!

(I'm also a rural internet user, so I totally understand why people are jumping on it. Rural internet sucks everywhere and Starlink is the fastest option for a lot of people... but I think more people would think twice if they had any idea how bad the pollution/space junk/light pollution issues are)

Show threadDitol
@sundogplanets @Helengraham If the internet access market in rural areas is big ebough to support satellite megaconstellations, how comes there is no proper over land service? It somehow doesn't seem to add up.
Mar 15, 2024 at 9:18amWeb
Show threadHelen GrahamMar 15, 2024
@ditol @sundogplanets .Its not really, the far north of Scotland is less densly populated than parts of the artic and sahara desert .Which means internet costs a fortune normally .Theres a lot of isolated houses and settlements most roads here are single track ,but a lot are narrow.So the road would need closing,cutting people off ,or at least meaning a very long detour that might be hours.The main roads have cables but houses are often a way from them,or too far from a" box "0r lines are taken
Show threadDitolMar 15, 2024
@Helengraham @sundogplanets If it is not feasible to lay cables for internet connection there, I assume that those houses have no other infrastructure either, like paved roads, electricity, running water etc. What a failed state... But in that case, what do they need internet access for if they can't power their computers? ;)
Still, if there are enough people in such conditions to sustain a satellite megaconstellation, it seems to be quite a considerable market. Why is nobody else exploiting it?
Show threadProf. Sam LawlerMar 15, 2024

@ditol @Helengraham This is how rural Saskatchewan got electricity decades ago: https://esask.uregina.ca/entry/rural_electrification.html

I would LOVE to see something like this for rural internet!

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Show threadHelen GrahamMar 15, 2024
@sundogplanets @ditol We are lucky here all our electricty is from an old hydro dam ,but we are in a hamlet most people live in scattered around houses .Most houses around my last place used generators sometimes backed up with solar .Even my last house which was only about 1/4 mile across a road from a huge windfarm which rented its land from the houses owner .Yet they point blank refused to run an electrcity cable to it .
Show threadDan HooverMar 15, 2024
@sundogplanets @ditol @Helengraham Post WW2 there was a very strong set of cooperative and fairness ethics across business and all levels of government in Saskatchewan. Those people were very much in this together and trying to make life better for everyone.
I have read bits of widely varied legislation from that time and the thought and foresight incorporated to support those goals amazes me.
It's the spirit of cooperation that needs to be stirred to spark such action.
Show threadHelen GrahamMar 15, 2024
@ditol @sundogplanets .Its not essential to have mains power or water , they use wells and have assorted means oif generating off grid power ,villages have pavements but why would anyone else need them ? The flow country is the UKs last wilderness and internationally important as Europes largest and the worlds most diverse area of blanket bog..Scotland is not a failed state it ,its one of the world leaders in renewable energy ,has the best social care and cleanest rivers and air in the uk
Show threadDitolMar 15, 2024
@Helengraham @sundogplanets but do those remote villages and hamlets have landline telefone connection? If so, they could have VDSL broadband internet. This is standard across Germany (another nearly-failed-state, but only nearly :) ) and was crippling fiber infrastructure for decades because nobody really needed it.