• PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works
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    2 months ago

    In the demo, former SpaceX intern and startup cofounder Ben Nowack is shown using an app outside in the dark that seems to control the location of the company’s sunlight-reflecting mirrors. As he selects the spot where he stands, the area around him is suddenly illuminated as if by stadium lights.

    LMAO of course it’s a SpaceX intern’s idea.

    • tal@lemmy.today
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      2 months ago

      it’s a SpaceX intern’s idea.

      It’s older than that.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_mirror_(climate_engineering)

      Space mirrors are satellites that are designed to change the amount of solar radiation that impacts the Earth as a form of climate engineering. The concept was first theorised in 1923 by physicist Hermann Oberth[1][2][3][4] and later developed in the 1980s by other scientists.[5] Space mirrors can be used to increase or decrease the amount of solar energy that reaches a specific point of the earth for various purposes. They have been theorised as a method of solar geoengineering by creating a space sunshade to deflect sunlight and counter global warming.[5][6]

      There have been several proposed implementations of the space mirror concept but none have been implemented thus far other than the Znamya project by Russia due to logistical concerns and challenges of deployment.[5][7]

      The Znamya project was a series of orbital mirror experiments in the 1990s that intended to beam solar power to Earth by reflecting sunlight. It consisted of three experiments the Znamya 1, Znamya 2 experiment, and the failed Znamya 2.5. The Znamya 1 was a ground experiment that never was launched.[17] The Znamya 2 was the first successful launch the Znamya project had. It was attached to the unmanned Progress M-15.[17]The deployment resulted in a bright light of a width of 5km and with the intensity of a Full Moon being shined.[17] The Znamya 3 was proposed but never acted upon because of the failure of the Znamya 2.5.[17] The project was abandoned by the Russian Federal Space Agency after the failed deployment of the Znamya 2.5.[7]

    • kamenLady.@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Yeah, it’s boring.

      I want a Starliner intern to come up with something.

      Btw, Starliner undocked the space station, set course back to earth and must have landed, uncrewed, 2 - 3 hours ago. That was the plan, at least.

      Edit: Here it is after undocking the station, showing off it’s glorious thrusters:

      • Zipitydew@sh.itjust.works
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        2 months ago

        Hasn’t made it to re-entry burn yet. That’s scheduled for about 40 minutes from now. Is supposed to land around 10 pm New Mexico time. Or about 2 hours from now.

          • Mirshe@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            To be fair, if I’m NASA, who’s had two fatal incidents with known damaged spacecraft, I’m also not sending two astronauts down on a known damaged spacecraft.

            • kamenLady.@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              You’re right, i must have worded it completely wrong, because i think it was the best decision NASA could have made.

              I guess it’s good for Boeing that Starliner made the way back home without incidents and had a smooth landing, but i really don’t know,l. If i were NASA, i wouldn’t spend more money on this. In the end only they know if Boeing is capable of finishing this. I think it depends on all those tests Boeing made being analyzed. They, probably, will then present NASA their conclusions and how they plan to proceed from there.

              Maybe Starliner’s AI is conscious, doesn’t like humans and starts sabotaging itself when humans are onboard.