Prof. Sam Lawler
I did a calculation yesterday that made me want to scream. If you look at the *current* density of satellites in 1km altitude bins in Low Earth Orbit, and assume they are travelling at circular velocities (generally true), then Starlink satellites pass within <1km of each other EVERY 30 SECONDS.
At Starlink altitudes, everything is travelling at 7 km/second, so <1 km close approaches are terrifyingly close. Every 30 seconds. WHY.
pettter
@sundogplanets Because dipshits want to have uninterrupted, high-speed, low-latency internet at all times rather than working on software that do not need that.
pettter
@sundogplanets Also just the orbital decay leading to however many of them burning up in the atmophere daily is going to completely destroy the ozone layer in a couple of years/decades. So that's nice also.
Prof. Sam Lawler
Why do they have to be in such a dense orbit? Why do they need 42,000 of them?! They are launching more into this same super dense orbit and we're supposed to just trust that their "autonomous collision avoidance system" will be good enough to keep going at higher and higher densities?
There's an opportunity for error about every 30 seconds. One small mistake and we're in Kessler Syndrome, no more LEO satellites for decades.
🎓 Doc Freemo :jpf: 🇳🇱
@sundogplanets why is that terrifying? Even worst case scenario and they all collide with each other being a LEO all that debris will just come down to earth in a few years anyway. But that happening is extremely unlikely.
pettter
@dalias @sundogplanets Wanting to have it most of the time, or at home, etc. isn't a dipshit thing to want. To want to have it literally _all the time everywhere_ is.
Rich Felker
@pettter @sundogplanets That's not a dipshit thing to want. Satellites are a dipshit way to get it though.
pettter
@DEDGirl @sundogplanets It's not my government, but it's my night sky and ozone layer.
DEDGirl
@pettter @sundogplanets I just moved to a rural area just outside of Los Angeles & Starlink is the only way to communicate with the outside world. Period. I’m not a dipshit. I hate EM. I’m a destitute disabled mom. My kid needs internet to be in school. We need internet for doctors appointments. There’s no other option. Take it up with the government & infrastructure shit. 🤷♀️
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