Prof. Sam Lawler10h ago
Trying to edit a stupid FCC comment on Yet Another Fucking Stupid Orbital Data Center (fuck you, Blue Origin) and I need to go outside and rage-scream for a while. And I have an easily accessible hayfield to rage-scream in!! (Also maybe baby goats, I'll check for those too #BabyGoatCountdown)
Show threadProf. Sam Lawler7h ago

Comments are due to the FCC on Mon for Blue Origin's copycat of SpaceX's fucking stupid orbital data center idea. Comments were due yesterday for the first SpaceX copycat: Starcloud (I hate everything about it, including the name). I was in chaotic travel mode for most of that and so had to rely on colleagues.

Now I have to read these fucking docs to see what bullshit Blue Origin is serving up, so time to rant about it.

Show threadProf. Sam Lawler7h ago

Blue Origin wants 51,600 satellites, all in sun-synchronous orbits. That means they'll follow the terminator line around the Earth and be sunlit ALWAYS. They want to distribute them between 500-1,800 km altitude, which means some of them will be sunlit and visible all the time. Fanfuckingtastic.

This is also the exact same set of orbits that both SpaceX and Starcloud want. Sun-synchronous orbits are about to get ridiculously crowded.

Show threadProf. Sam Lawler7h ago

"BLUE ORIGIN BACKGROUND" a.k.a. the grandiose greenwashing section. Oh they named this Project Sunrise?! Project Sunrise sounds like a billion times worse than Reflect Orbital...

Whatever it is, at least they didn't name it Project Sunshine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_SUNSHINE

You just never fucking know with these techbro companies...

Project SUNSHINE - Wikipedia

Show threadProf. Sam Lawler7h ago
Oh my god the "PUBLIC INTEREST" section is a giant love fest over all the things that AI isn't actually doing. Don't worry guys, if you launch data centers into orbit, they are way greener! There's always solar power in space! Please just ignore all the rocket exhaust, ablation products, and shit hitting the ground... Also the fact that data centers in space are almost certainly physically impossible...
Show threadInc Hulk 🧪

@sundogplanets
You say "data centers in space are almost certainly physically impossible" which is very true.

But the objective is not to actually launch data centres, it is to part gullible investors from large amounts of $$$. Claiming some 'unexpected technical issue' then bankruptcy, leaves the investors with nothing, and the crooks with a few islands that Epstein would have been jealous of.
I sometimes wonder if I am too sceptical?

9:46pmWeb