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jaylach
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 2:54 pm |
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Resident Geekazoid Administrator |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am Posts: 9438 Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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sboots
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:29 pm |
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Site Admin |
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Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:48 pm Posts: 2946 Location: New Jersey
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That is interesting. When we were looking to move to rural VA our anticipated Internet connectivity was going to suck. Traditional satellite was available, but costly and with data caps and high latency. Cellular was available, but obviously quite expensive and data caps and throttling... Fixed wireless was potentially an option, but I would need a site survey first to confirm if it was available at the property and even then the speed wasn't great - 50 Mbps was the maximum under optimal conditions. Where we are now, my DL speed is over 400 Mbps and supposedly the cable company is offering Gigabit, but it will require a tech install -- out of the question for us during the pandemic. Since we may still be moving in the next few years, having a more reasonable Satellite option if we end up rural without decent broadband availability would be good.
_________________ stephen boots Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020 "Life's always an adventure with computers!"
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jaylach
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2020 2:30 pm |
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Resident Geekazoid Administrator |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am Posts: 9438 Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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Doddie
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2020 5:13 pm |
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welcoming committee |
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Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2013 4:13 pm Posts: 1723 Location: Dunedin, Alba.
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Quote: SpaceX plans to launch thousands of the small internet satellites as it builds out a globe-spanning constellation designed to provide high-speed internet connectivity to any point on Earth.
Including two prototypes, the California rocket builder has now launched 775 Starlink satellites. Astrophysicist and spaceflight statistician Jonathan McDowell says 47 of the previously launched Starlinks are no longer in orbit, but Tuesday's launch pushes the total number currently in space to 728. Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spacex-launches-13th-batch-starlink-internet-satellites-after-delays/I can't help wondering what happened to the 47 satellites that are no longer in orbit? Did they float off into space, develop a fault and burn-up on re-entering the atmosphere (or worse, crash back to earth?), or as often seems to happen with Elon Musk Tesla cars... spontaneously burst into flames? [The latter is meant to be taken with tongue in cheek ]
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jaylach
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2020 5:28 pm |
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Resident Geekazoid Administrator |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am Posts: 9438 Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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Doddie wrote: I can't help wondering what happened to the 47 satellites that are no longer in orbit? Don't know about all of them but some were due to tests on 'de-orbiting' when end of life is reached. Some are still in orbit but have lost communication. Since they are not functional they are not counted in the orbiting number.
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Doddie
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2020 6:21 pm |
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welcoming committee |
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Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2013 4:13 pm Posts: 1723 Location: Dunedin, Alba.
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Hmmm... our oceans are in a mess with discarded plastic, it looks like the planets orbit is about to go the same way (arguably it could be said it already has). e.g. What's the point of testing for de-orbiting at end of life if the satellites are simply discarded because they've 'lost communication' and are considered 'not functional'? In my opinion and before it's too late, we need to stop private launches of satellites until it can be demonstrated they have a safe and effective recovery method that covers all eventualities... simply not counting them doesn't make the problem of space junk go away, it only makes it worse. An interesting video on YouTube about space junk can be seen here: The Truth About Space Debris https://youtu.be/itdYS9XF4a0
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jaylach
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2020 7:03 pm |
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Resident Geekazoid Administrator |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am Posts: 9438 Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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Not much junk left in orbit from this project. The ones de-orbited on purpose burn up in the atmosphere. This can't be done with the ones that lost communication as, currently, the de-orbiting depends on a sent signal. This needs to be corrected to, if communication is lost, the de-orbit routine automatically starts internally. The current ones that lost communication will de-orbit on their own passively. While this does not guarantee burning up on decent the odds say they likely will.
While I agree that orbital debris IS a valid issue it seems that projects are in play and/or development.
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Doddie
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2020 7:52 pm |
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welcoming committee |
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Joined: Sun Jan 13, 2013 4:13 pm Posts: 1723 Location: Dunedin, Alba.
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jaylach wrote: While I agree that orbital debris IS a valid issue it seems that projects are in play and/or development. Yup, but sooner or later someone will pay with their life for those foolish decisions. Don't get me wrong, i agree there are valid reasons for putting satelittes into orbit, however, there needs to be international standards set to make it sustainable. Simply putting up hundreds and thousands of satellites (no matter the size or reason) without any means to ensure they can be safely retrieved is simply a folly. In 1957 Sputnik was the first satellite ever to orbit our plant... 63 years later our orbit is awash with them and full of debris that cannot be tracked. Fast forward another 63 years and i can pretty much guarantee that nothing from planet Earth will ever leave our orbit again.
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