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Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 7:51 pm
by Wut
SpaceX's new array of Starlink communication satellites has even the most jaded of satellite observers agog with excitement as they move across the sky.

On Thursday evening (May 23), SpaceX launched 60 Starlink satellites into orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The satellites are in good health and are the first of a planned 12,000-satellite megaconstellation to provide internet access to people on Earth.

The satellites, which are now orbiting at approximately 273 miles (440 km) above the Earth, are putting on a spectacular show for ground observers as they move across the night sky.


A train of SpaceX Starlink satellites are visible in the night sky in this still from a video captured by satellite tracker Marco Langbroek in Leiden, the Netherlands on May 24, 2019, just one day after SpaceX launched 60 of the Starlink internet communications satellites into orbit.

To the eye, the 60 satellites appear as a "moving train" of moderately faint stars … generally in the magnitude +4 to +5 range, although some observers have reported that a few of the satellites in the train have appeared brighter than this. A magnitude of +6 is generally considered to be the threshold of naked eye visibility under a dark, clear sky.

Initially, the satellites were seen to be stretched out in a straight line measuring roughly 5 to 8 degrees in apparent length. Your clenched fist held at arm's length is roughly equivalent to 10 degrees, so the satellite train currently measures roughly just less than a fist in length as it moves across the sky.

With time, however, as the satellites revolve around Earth at 90 minute intervals, they should appear less "bunched" together and may actually get a bit fainter as they are slowly raised to their operational orbits of 342 miles (550 km).

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 8:04 pm
by Animal
i heard about this several months ago. I don't remember the details of the story, just that they planned to send up over a thousand tiny satellites. I was thinking the story was about some type of communication system. And I was thinking it was Amazon or Google or someone that was funding it.

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 8:06 pm
by Wut
The Internet says Thursday at 8:24 is my best option for seeing it in the next ten days but that's awful close to sunset.

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 8:09 pm
by Animal
Wut wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 8:06 pm The Internet says Thursday at 8:24 is my best option for seeing it in the next ten days but that's awful close to sunset.
is there a link to someplace that gives times and locations? no way i could see anything in the sky at 8:24 right now, I don't think.

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 8:19 pm
by beagleboy
Obviously this is a coverup for the Alien highway they've recently discovered.

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 8:24 pm
by Wut
Flumper wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 8:09 pm
Wut wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 8:06 pm The Internet says Thursday at 8:24 is my best option for seeing it in the next ten days but that's awful close to sunset.
is there a link to someplace that gives times and locations? no way i could see anything in the sky at 8:24 right now, I don't think.
This is what I'm looking at:

https://www.n2yo.com/passes/?s=74001

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 8:38 pm
by CaptQuint
Flumper wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 8:09 pm
Wut wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 8:06 pm The Internet says Thursday at 8:24 is my best option for seeing it in the next ten days but that's awful close to sunset.
is there a link to someplace that gives times and locations? no way i could see anything in the sky at 8:24 right now, I don't think.
https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-s ... guide.html

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 9:32 pm
by Animal
so if you launch something up into "space", what determines what elevation (from the earth's surface) that it orbits at? and then, once in that orbit, will it stay at that elevation forever? I mean, is it some gravity calculation based on the mass of the satellite? And what propels it orbit every couple of hours?

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 9:38 pm
by CaptQuint
Flumper wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 9:32 pm so if you launch something up into "space", what determines what elevation (from the earth's surface) that it orbits at? and then, once in that orbit, will it stay at that elevation forever? I mean, is it some gravity calculation based on the mass of the satellite? And what propels it orbit every couple of hours?
so if you launch something up into "space", what determines what elevation (from the earth's surface) that it orbits at?

How many firecrackers you put under it


once in that orbit, will it stay at that elevation forever?

No, it's orbit will decay and it will fall into the atmosphere

And what propels it orbit every couple of hours?

gravitational pull
source:
I'm an internet black science guy

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 9:59 pm
by Animal
CaptQuint wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 9:38 pm
so if you launch something up into "space", what determines what elevation (from the earth's surface) that it orbits at?

How many firecrackers you put under it
well, that's obviously not true. in this story alone it says the satellites are at 273 miles and will eventually end up at 342 miles for their final orbiting path.

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 10:01 pm
by CaptQuint
Flumper wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 9:59 pm
CaptQuint wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 9:38 pm
so if you launch something up into "space", what determines what elevation (from the earth's surface) that it orbits at?

How many firecrackers you put under it
well, that's obviously not true. in this story alone it says the satellites are at 273 miles and will eventually end up at 342 miles for their final orbiting path.
Extra firecracker, duh

Black Science Guy

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 10:05 pm
by B-Tender
CaptQuint wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 10:01 pm
Flumper wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 9:59 pm
CaptQuint wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 9:38 pm
so if you launch something up into "space", what determines what elevation (from the earth's surface) that it orbits at?

How many firecrackers you put under it
well, that's obviously not true. in this story alone it says the satellites are at 273 miles and will eventually end up at 342 miles for their final orbiting path.
Extra firecracker, duh

Black Science Guy
Is the science black, or is the guy black?

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 10:05 pm
by CaptQuint
B-Tender wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 10:05 pm
CaptQuint wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 10:01 pm
Flumper wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 9:59 pm
CaptQuint wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 9:38 pm
so if you launch something up into "space", what determines what elevation (from the earth's surface) that it orbits at?

How many firecrackers you put under it
well, that's obviously not true. in this story alone it says the satellites are at 273 miles and will eventually end up at 342 miles for their final orbiting path.
Extra firecracker, duh

Black Science Guy
Is the science black, or is the guy black?
Yes

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 10:08 pm
by B-Tender
CaptQuint wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 10:05 pm
B-Tender wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 10:05 pm
CaptQuint wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 10:01 pm
Flumper wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 9:59 pm
CaptQuint wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 9:38 pm
so if you launch something up into "space", what determines what elevation (from the earth's surface) that it orbits at?

How many firecrackers you put under it
well, that's obviously not true. in this story alone it says the satellites are at 273 miles and will eventually end up at 342 miles for their final orbiting path.
Extra firecracker, duh

Black Science Guy
Is the science black, or is the guy black?
Yes
Black science is probably cooler and more trendy than regular science, so it's got that going for it.

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 10:11 pm
by CaptQuint
B-Tender wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 10:08 pm
CaptQuint wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 10:05 pm
B-Tender wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 10:05 pm
CaptQuint wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 10:01 pm
Flumper wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 9:59 pm
CaptQuint wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 9:38 pm
so if you launch something up into "space", what determines what elevation (from the earth's surface) that it orbits at?

How many firecrackers you put under it
well, that's obviously not true. in this story alone it says the satellites are at 273 miles and will eventually end up at 342 miles for their final orbiting path.
Extra firecracker, duh

Black Science Guy
Is the science black, or is the guy black?
Yes
Black science is probably cooler and more trendy than regular science, so it's got that going for it.
We make homemade malt liquor as well

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 10:39 pm
by Animal
At 273 miles above the earth, that makes one trip around the earth to be about 27,000 miles. And, according to that link you sent, they pass pretty close to the same spot on the earth every 1.62 hrs. So, those little fuckers are traveling about 16,600 mph.

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Wed May 29, 2019 12:18 am
by WestTexasCrude
The 1990's are yawning at this crap. Motorola launched 66 Iridium satellites to cover the Earth with Global coverage back in the late 90's. 30 years later, this company is pounding their chest? Please.

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Wed May 29, 2019 12:22 am
by Wut
Those iridium satellites are all being shut down and taken out of service.

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Wed May 29, 2019 12:40 am
by WestTexasCrude
Wut wrote: Wed May 29, 2019 12:22 am Those iridium satellites are all being shut down and taken out of service.
Nope, well maybe due to age. Read the whole history of Motorola's Iridium 1990's project. Totally brilliant engineering- 66 satellites in geo-centric (sp) orbit covering 100% of the earth with cell phone service. North Pole to the Equator. Motorola screwed the pooch on the logistics/ land based hardware. Went bankrupt and bought on the cents by a corporation. Still the preferred means of communication by shipping companies worldwide.

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Wed May 29, 2019 12:42 am
by CaptQuint
Nope, well maybe :questionmarks:

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Wed May 29, 2019 12:48 am
by Wut
WestTexasCrude wrote: Wed May 29, 2019 12:40 am
Wut wrote: Wed May 29, 2019 12:22 am Those iridium satellites are all being shut down and taken out of service.
Nope, well maybe due to age. Read the whole history of Motorola's Iridium 1990's project. Totally brilliant engineering- 66 satellites in geo-centric (sp) orbit covering 100% of the earth with cell phone service. North Pole to the Equator. Motorola screwed the pooch on the logistics/ land based hardware. Went bankrupt and bought on the cents by a corporation. Still the preferred means of communication by shipping companies worldwide.
In January 2017, Iridium began launch next-generation satellites through its $3 billion launch campaign, Iridium NEXT. The new satellites were sent into space on SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicles from Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 4 in California over the course of 8 launches between January 2017 and January 2019.[26][27] On January 14, 2017, SpaceX successfully launched 10 of the new Iridium satellites into orbit.[28] The second launch of Iridium NEXT satellites took place on June 25, 2017 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket out of Vandenberg Air Force Base. This was the second of eight scheduled launches.[29] The third launch of 10 NEXT satellites took place on October 9, 2017. On December 22, 2017, ten additional satellites were deployed after a successful launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. On May 22nd, SpaceX successfully launched an additional five Iridium NEXT satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base[30]. On March 28, 2018, the obsolete satellite IRIDIUM 23 [P], space junk, reentered the atmosphere close to north of Brazil.[31]

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Wed May 29, 2019 3:35 am
by Systemofaclown
beagleboy wrote: Tue May 28, 2019 8:19 pm Obviously this is a coverup for the Alien highway they've recently discovered.
Then the end is nigh. Hitchhiker's guide taught me earth would be eliminated to make way for the space highway.

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Wed May 29, 2019 4:52 pm
by Molzy
There's a guy I've been going back and forth with on IG, for the better of 2 years and he works at SpaceX. I may go for it if he gives me a tour.

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Wed May 29, 2019 9:19 pm
by CaptQuint
Molzy wrote: Wed May 29, 2019 4:52 pm There's a guy I've been going back and forth with on IG, for the better of 2 years and he works at SpaceX. I may go for it if he gives me a tour.
Are ye gonna play with his rocket?

Re: Nerd stuff

Posted: Thu May 30, 2019 12:36 am
by Zerobeat
WestTexasCrude wrote: Wed May 29, 2019 12:40 am
Wut wrote: Wed May 29, 2019 12:22 am Those iridium satellites are all being shut down and taken out of service.
Nope, well maybe due to age. Read the whole history of Motorola's Iridium 1990's project. Totally brilliant engineering- 66 satellites in geo-centric (sp) orbit covering 100% of the earth with cell phone service. North Pole to the Equator. Motorola screwed the pooch on the logistics/ land based hardware. Went bankrupt and bought on the cents by a corporation. Still the preferred means of communication by shipping companies worldwide.
Geosynchronous orbit.