Mastodawn

Roy -- the dull one 3h ago

Prof. Sam Lawler

FCC reply comments are due by 5pm EDT Monday 30 March on Reflect Orbital. If you wrote in a comment, please please please write in again saying that they did not address your concerns in their letter (which is very hard to find in the FCC dumpster-fire-of-a-website). Instructions here: https://aas.org/posts/advocacy/2026/02/how-submit-comments-satellite-applications-fcc

The most horrifying part in their "consolidated reply": they agree that they could in fact cause permanent eye damage to people using medium-sized telescopes. WILD.

Prof. Sam Lawler 5h ago

Any journalists want to write about this? Or anyone know how to figure out who insures Reflect Orbital? Reflect Orbital will cause eye damage to people using telescopes, as astronomers have previously calculated, and they openly admitted it in their reply.

(There is a whole slew of absolutely devastating ecological damage they will also cause, but I'm focusing on this one for now because it's so shocking)

Prof. Sam Lawler 4h ago

Following up to say... the whole idea is so fucking ignorant that it's all shocking. I'm just focusing on the eye damage issue because it's something they readily admit will cause harm, and it's a concrete calculation (even if I think they did it in a bullshit way that ignores a lot of things that actually make it MORE likely to cause eye damage)

Ecological damage has me far more worried, and losing so much of the night sky for some techbro fuckweasel's pipe dream is just devastating.

Prof. Sam Lawler 57m ago

I managed to proofread and comment on the entire 6 page American Astronomical Society draft response to Reflect Orbital's reply and also write my own draft response and not throw my laptop out the window with rage over Reflect Orbital's absolutely fucking terrible plans. Please clap.

Do I think this will actually help? No, not really, the FCC is evil and blinded by $$$. Do I still have to do this? Yes. Yes I do.

Legit_Spaghetti 50m ago

@sundogplanets 👏👏👏

For some reason this whole situation reminds me of the ELF (Earth Liberation Front) and the time they burned down that ski resort in Vail. Sunshine Overaker is still on the FBI's wanted list, almost 30 years later.

Burning down a ski resort is one thing. I can see something like the destruction of our night skies inspiring an entirely new breed of activist, the kind that wouldn't shy away from taking down the very satellites trying to steal the stars from us.

My camera shoots fascists 38m ago

@Legit_Spaghetti @sundogplanets

Unfortunately, slingshots won't shoot that far.

Legit_Spaghetti 29m ago

@Mikal @sundogplanets I don't think you'd need anything as dramatic as an anti-satellite weapon (not that anyone could even build such a thing without government funding and without setting off all kinds of alarm bells among the different alphabet soup agencies). Compromising a satellite's software would be a much cheaper and slightly more achievable way to do it.

My camera shoots fascists 13m ago

@Legit_Spaghetti @sundogplanets

Where are the antifa super hackers when you need them? Or maybe night sky liberation front?

But, yeah, wouldn't that be hilarious. Hack them so they turn the wrong way and use whatever thrust capability they have to launch themselves out of orbit on a slow path out into deep space. Byyeeee 👋

teledyn 𓂀 48m ago

@sundogplanets it is important, and, as a senior I can add "quite satisfying", to later be able to say "I told you so" and get grant money to clean up the mess.

As Bucky said, people always do the right thing, but ONLY after they have exhausted every stupid alternative. This is, I think, called, in biology, "the genetic algorithm" ☺️

Thank you for doing this. 🌏🌎🌍

My camera shoots fascists 36m ago

As a complete lay person, with no formal expertise in this matter whatsoever, is it appropriate to write a comment that just says "This is a fantastically stupid fucking idea. What the hell are you thinking? No no no no!"

Cyberlyra 36m ago

@sundogplanets CLAPPING!! It wil have an impact.

Also cc'ing @Paulatics as she is on the case in #Canada

Maybe they're just banking on aggressive interpretations of the space liability convention, and assuming that the US regime will insulate them from liability?

Prof. Sam Lawler 2h ago

@DaveMWilburn Huh. That's a scary idea.

Just a general question for anyone:

Why are other countries letting the US decide what happens in the sky over their country? Why does it all depend on one corrupt, anti-science government?

@donray @sundogplanets cause it has the football suitcase amongst other toys. Simple as this.

D. G. Marshall 54m ago

I'm not a lawyer, but I would think that admitting your fuckweasel's pipe dream will cause eye damage, and then building it anyway, should make you liable for all the eye damage you cause.

Small comfort for those who lose their eyesight, I know.

@sundogplanets Note again to my fellow #HamRadio operators...they require a CORES account to make it nearly impossible to comment. And to get a ham radio license, you also got a CORES account. It's up to us to speak for the hundreds of millions they are preventing from speaking.

Go make a comment.

@W6KME @sundogplanets #GMRS license holders have CORES accounts also, if they wish to comment 🤔🙂

grrl_aex 4h ago

As an inhabitant of this planet (and as an amateur astronomer) I'm utterly appalled at the temerity of these rapacious, entitled ghouls.

AI6YR Ben 3h ago

@sundogplanets 😬

Darth Osler 3h ago

@ai6yr @sundogplanets time for xl ground-based lasers

Luna chan 1h ago

@sundogplanets This stupid thing needs to be blocked.

Michael McWilliams 1h ago

@sundogplanets
IMO, Reflect Orbital is a total scam. Their business model has been debunked in a video. The video didn't even touch on the number of days there will be clouds that will fully prevent any solar panels getting extra light. I think that they are only doing this to steal venture capitalists' money.

Prof. Sam Lawler 1h ago

@MichaelMcWilliams I totally agree with you! But it's a scam that is going to cause real people and real ecosystems (and astronomy!) measurable harm so I am fighting it as hard as I can.

Michael McWilliams 1h ago

@sundogplanets
Here's the debunk video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkjyeI0ykGM

EEVblog 1637: Solar Freakin' Space Mirrors! - Reflect Orbital DEBUNKED

YouTube

Prof. Sam Lawler 1h ago

@MichaelMcWilliams I LOVE this video!

Future Sprog 25m ago

Thanks for the reminder. I have again submitted a comment on that.