• Zron@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    This is false advertising.

    Starlink was the first company and product designed to intentionally increase space junk.

    Although not needing to provide and internet connection does mean FragSat is a cheaper and more superior product.

      • Zron@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        Flirting with Kessler syndrome so you can land trick shots in Fortnight.

        The only benefit starlink has over transitional satellite internet is relatively low latency, you could have gotten a different satellite provider.

        Just because there hasn’t been a collision yet, doesn’t mean there won’t be. And there has been measurable damage to ground based telescope observations due to the constant stream of starlink sats overhead.

  • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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    8 months ago

    Honestly you could do a ton of damage if you were to just yeet a metric ton or so of sand and gravel into LEO and released it in an exciting fashion

  • Etterra@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    To be fair, something like this bud scaled up would be the only realistic way to try and fight off a hypothetical extraterrestrial invasion. Once I saw it suggested we could mass-deploy Thunder Wells to fill an orbital window with a cloud of giant steel shrapnel.

    A Thunder Well is literally a bore hole with a nuke in it, and a huge steel plate on top. It was done originally as and experiment and they never did find that fucking plate; it might have been vaporized, but that’s nothing a little redesign couldn’t fix.

    Wikipedia article

    • casual_turtle_stew_enjoyer@sh.itjust.works
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      8 months ago

      Russian-American de-escalation line transcript from Dec 14th 2024:

      Saltzman: Dmitry, care to enlighten me as to why exactly Roscosmos felt the need to launch a Soyuz with nothing but depleted uranium marbles on board?

      Rogozin: Scy-eence

      Saltzman: OK, and why the second one?

      Rogozin: Ree-plecibility

      Saltzman: …

      Rogozin: Vhat? I dought you like spacebolls

  • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
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    8 months ago

    Steel balls touching each other would cold weld themselves into a clump if all touching like that. They’re going to need a couple design changes.

    • Zron@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Not if they’re made on earth and exposed to the atmosphere.

      The layer of iron oxide on the outside will prevent cold welding.

      Or just coat them all in grease.

      • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
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        8 months ago

        All the vibration from them rubbing against each other as they achieve orbit will rub off the Oxide layer. A light oil would probably do just fine.