Prof. Sam Lawler3d ago

SpaceX's highly paid lawyers responded to the hundreds of comments and oppositions submitted to the FCC in one letter, that basically shows they didn't actually read our petitions to deny. And now we astronomers and dark sky advocates who are volunteering our time have to do a shitload more work to respond to their non-response. By Friday.

Fuck you, SpaceX.

Show threadProf. Sam Lawler3d ago
I am feeling seriously depressed about this, and also Reflect Orbital's no doubt similarly infuriating response that's due in a couple of days. I'm not sure what I expected, I guess I'm just not cynical enough to deal with current reality yet. Kessler Syndrome, here we come!!
Show threadProf. Sam Lawler3d ago

Yesterday I borrowed a book off @astrokiwi.bsky.social's bookshelf written by @annaleen. Feeling slightly homesick for Saskatchewan after a few weeks in New Zealand, I was DELIGHTED to find that the book begins with "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuGGNsE3_8Y and I'm totally going to channel that Saskatchewan pirate energy into the talks, writing, and meetings I have today fighting satellite pollution.

Aaaarrrr, Matey! Get it? Métis?

The Arrogant Worms - The Last Saskatchewan Pirate

The Arrogant Worms - The Last Saskatchewan Pirate1st track from the "Self-Titled" albumThis IS The Arrogant Worms, NOT Captain Tractor, enjoy ! :)Oh, and thi...

YouTube
Show threadProf. Sam Lawler2d ago
Grant me the (Saskatchewan pirate?) strength to not throw my laptop out the fucking window as I try to write parts of the text for the American Astronomical Society's response to SpaceX's infuriating, arrogant, ignorant, irresponsible non-response.
Show threadProf. Sam Lawler2d ago
HOLY FUCK THIS IS SO HARD IN ONE PARAGRAPH THE SHITBALLS SAY THEY'LL COORDINATE WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES TO STUDY ATMOSPHERIC EFFECTS OF REENTRIES AND IN THE NEXT THE FUCKWEASELS VEHEMENTLY DENY THAT ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS APPLY TO THEM AT ALL AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Show threadProf. Sam Lawler2d ago
THEY SAY THEY'LL MEET MAG 7 RECOMMENDATIONS WHEN THEY HAVEN'T EVEN REACHED THIS WITH STARLINK AND THAT WOULD BE PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE WITH ISS-SIZED SOLAR PANELS AND TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MAG 7 SATELLITES WOULD ACTUALLY COMPLETELY FUCKING DESTROY ASTRONOMY ANYWAY THESE FUCKING AWFUL FUCKWEASEL LIARS AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH
Show threadProf. Sam Lawler2d ago
Wow New Zealand takes fire drill very seriously (which is good). Back to ranting....
Show threadProf. Sam Lawler2d ago
INFRARED!! Literally their whole response to infrared is "we'll work with NSF" and "we'll follow the highly successful VM7 framework" which is... I think the visual mag 7 recommendation. WHICH THEY HAVEN'T EVEN FUCKING MET WITH STARLINK SATELLITES THAT ARE WAY SMALLER THAN THESE FUCKING DATA CENTERS
Show threadProf. Sam Lawler2d ago
DO I REALLY HAVE TO READ THE ORBITAL SAFETY SECTION? I'm not sure if it's going to make me want to throw up or chuck my computer out the window.
Show threadProf. Sam Lawler2d ago

WOW SOME SHADE THROWN AT COMPETITORS "In stark contrast to NASA’s productive suggestions, would-be SpaceX competitors like Viasat and Amazon recycle the same tired arguments..."

ALSO YOU FUCKING IGNORE EVERY SUGGESTION FROM ASTRONOMERS AND WE DON'T REPRESENT NASA YOU STUPID FUCKS

Show threadProf. Sam Lawler2d ago

OH IT GETS BETTER "Some petitioners—primarily would-be competitors such as Amazon/Blue Origin and Viasat—advance
their standard anticompetitive tropes trying to fearmonger about orbital congestion, operational preclusion, and potential collision risk in opposing SpaceX’s application"

This would be hilarious if I wasn't also COMPLETELY TERRIFIED about orbital congestion and collision risks...

Show threadProf. Sam Lawler2d ago

"If Amazon had employed even basic math, it would realize that SpaceX’s proposed system would inhabit only 0.005% of the 1.1 trillion cubic kilometers of space across the 500–2,000 km orbits"

YES BUT IT'S TRAVELLING THROUGH THAT SPACE AT 7KM PER SECOND AND YOU DON'T FUCKING KNOW HOW ORBITS WORK AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Ok I need to take a break from reading this or I'm actually going to break something.

Show threadgroff 🇺🇦

@sundogplanets

Elon Musk, while firing an AK47 into a crowded shopping mall, insisted "It's fine. If you'd done basic math you'd realise the bullets only take up 0.005% of the available space in there."

Mar 19 at 9:37amWeb