Bling… in… SPACE!!!

January 25, 2018 2:10 PM

‘Disco ball’ put into space from NZ (Jonathan Amos, BBC)

Astronomers really hate that bright disco ball satellite secretly launched to space (Miriam Kramer, Mashable)

On Thursday, the rocket company Rocket Lab announced that it had secretly launched the Humanity Star, a satellite in the shape of a reflective sphere that effectively works as a disco ball and could at times become the brightest object in the night sky.

The Humanity Star was launched as a way to unite all who see it under the night sky, according to Rocket Lab. "The Humanity Star is intended to serve as a focal point for humanity as every single person on Earth will have the opportunity to see and experience it," Rocket Lab said in a statement.

But certain people on Earth aren't exactly pleased. Just after Rocket Lab announced the surprise launch of the satellite, many astronomers tweeted their annoyance that the New Zealand-based company would build and launch this bright object.

Humanity Star exciting, but also mortifying (Paul Charman, NZ Herald)

As for Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck, never mind "New Zealander of the Year" — as a space junkie I consider this young chap a contender for Kiwi of the 21st century. Yep, thanks to Peter this country is just the 11th country in the world with an active space port.

To me this "techie triumph", dwarfs the buzz generated by our forthcoming royal baby (the Ardern-Gayford one); by the wonderful Black Caps victories; by this great summer and so on...

But, there really is a huge BUT! News Rocket Lab has launched into orbit a kind of disco ball which could become one of the brightest objects in the night sky is mortifying.

The "Humanity Star" (Stuart Atkinson, Cumbrian Sky blog)

For a start, there’s the issue of light pollution. We – astronomers, sky-watchers, the public in general – now find it very hard to enjoy being out under a truly dark sky because of light pollution from streetlights, advertising signs, pub and hotel signs, factories and offices etc. For a long time there has been concern about light pollution spreading up into the actual sky itself, as companies have wanted to place illuminated signs in orbit advertising themselves or their products. There have been a few proposals over the years, but none of them ever got very far. Now we have the “Humanity Star”, a man-made object with no scientific purpose, which will be visible in the night sky as a “bright light”. Many are concerned that this is light pollution, and are concerned that its launch sets a dangerous precedent which will lead to other companies placing bigger, brighter objects in the sky...

As much as I support these “New Space” companies cutting the costs of rocket launches, and “opening up” space to more people, I have come to the conclusion that for all the New Age wiffy-waffy words about inspiration, etc, the main purpose of this “star” is just to promote the Rocket Lab company behind the rocket that launched it. It is an orbital advert – the first in history to actually work. If the company was open about that it would be a clever achievement in its own right. But I don’t think it’s a good idea to dress it up as something to inspire people...

This kind of thing is going to happen again and again as the “New Space” revolution gathers pace. Elon Musk is sending one of his cars into space when the first Falcon Heavy rocket launches next month, and while some people think that’s a cool thing to do others think it’s a rich playboy being stupid and immature, and a complete waste of resources and money. Now we have another company launching a “space disco glitter ball”. Cool or crazy? You decide. At the end of the day these are privately-funded missions and the entrepeneurs behind them can do what the hell they want with their – and their Shareholders’ – money.

The official Humanity Star website includes a tracker.

Want to know when it will be visible in your neck of the woods?
Heavens-above should help.

posted by Start with Dessert (29 comments total)

As one of the articles cites, this seems a less well-conceptualized version of recent MacArthur genius grant winner Trevor Paglen's soon-to-launch Orbital Reflector.
posted by PhineasGage at 2:20 PM on January 25, 2018 [2 favorites]

I think it's a stupid and ill-advised stunt, but Atkinson's stated concerns about its effect on light pollution seem disingenuous. As it's in low earth orbit and is reflective only, not emitting any light of its own, it would only be visible near sunrise or sunset (when the ball is still in sunlight but an observer on the ground is not), much like the ISS, and the article linked above the fold in the FPP says as much. The contribution to light pollution which would hamper ground-based skywatchers is approximately zero.

Oh, wait, on closer reading, Atkinson doesn't actually say he's concerned about light pollution, only that "Many are," so he can spread that nonsense but also claim that he never believed it himself.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 2:26 PM on January 25, 2018 [4 favorites]

I don't like it one bit.

Not because I have a worry about light pollution, but because it sets a really, really bad precedent to put something into orbit that has no other purpose than to be visible on the ground, rather than any reflections being incidental to the functioning of a spacecraft.

Also, there are plenty of satellites and telescopes in orbit that have to be cautious about pointing into the Earth, the Moon, the Sun, and even bright reflections. Putting a disco ball in space kind of throws an unnecessary and otherwise useless wrench into how very sensitive instruments have to track keep out zones.

Chalk this one up as a stupid, short-sighted stunt. I was excited about Rocket Lab's launch, now I wonder if they're just an offshoot of silicon valley tech bros.
posted by tclark at 2:34 PM on January 25, 2018 [5 favorites]

I for one, welcome the watchful eyes of our soon-to-be-orbiting Pepsi overlords.
posted by rokusan at 2:38 PM on January 25, 2018 [2 favorites]

What
posted by Melismata at 2:39 PM on January 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

I only heard about this because astronomy twitter is mildly perturbed.

@Alex_Parker

For no reason at all, here's what it looks like when a satellite goes through Hubble's field of view whilst you are trying to image something in the distant solar system.

The orbit is meant to degrade in about 9 months.
posted by figurant at 2:40 PM on January 25, 2018 [6 favorites]

Looking from Arizona, its not going to be very bright at all, nowhere near the brightness of Iridium flares.
posted by atomicmedia at 2:56 PM on January 25, 2018

Yep, a dumb and crass marketing stunt.

As space becomes more accessible, we'll only see more of this. As humans colonize the heavens, we'll bring all of the dumbest parts of ourselves with us.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 2:57 PM on January 25, 2018 [4 favorites]

Ads on the moon. I read a blurb some time ago about Sony wanting to project advertisements onto the lunar surface. *tsk*, head shake, face palm, heavy sigh.
posted by Oyéah at 3:02 PM on January 25, 2018

Ads on the moon

Chairface Chippendale already tried that.
posted by hanov3r at 3:07 PM on January 25, 2018 [9 favorites]

Reminds me somewhat of Project Echo. That thing was huge and looked like a headlight in the night sky. My dad worked for AT&T and brought me a sample of the then quite exotic Mylar reflective skin...
posted by jim in austin at 3:09 PM on January 25, 2018

"The Humanity Star is intended to serve as a focal point for humanity as every single person on Earth will have the opportunity to see and experience it"

I checked from where I live and his site says it won't be visible at any point.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by GuyZero at 3:28 PM on January 25, 2018

I hear the light pollution argument, but it's also the sort of thing that might get kids interested in space.
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:31 PM on January 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

Much dimmer than Iridium flares, will fall back to Earth in nine months.. Sounds like a bunch of unnecessary hand wringing to me. Call me when someone has concrete plans to put a giant mirror up to light an entire city or gigantic farm late into the night. That will be more than worthy of protests over light pollution. Not this Humanity Star, whatever you think of it.

(Personally, it was Iridium flares that got my interest in space rekindled..seeing them and the ISS really drove home the reality of what it takes to put things in orbit, much less to farther flung places in the solar system)
posted by wierdo at 4:10 PM on January 25, 2018 [4 favorites]

Wait until there are fields of orbiting nanosats blinking advertising at us.
posted by mondo dentro at 4:57 PM on January 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

Perhaps you're married, GuyZero?
posted by rokusan at 5:30 PM on January 25, 2018 [4 favorites]

I was excited about Rocket Lab's launch, now I wonder if they're just an offshoot of silicon valley tech bros.

I watched the launch, and the control room seemed populated exclusively by young white men wearing gaming headsets, so...
posted by Devonian at 6:42 PM on January 25, 2018 [2 favorites]

I quite like disco balls... inside enclosed rooms. This just sounds kind of dumb and like it will be mildly obnoxious for space scientists for a year.
posted by eviemath at 6:58 PM on January 25, 2018

I call it "Photon-Bombing".
posted by nickggully at 7:20 PM on January 25, 2018

This makes me ashamed to be a kiw. This is deliberate destruction of Earth, perhaps not physically (although uncritical attitudes like this are usually symptomatic of a desire to wreck nature) but of the sacredness of the black sky. The sort of attitudes against Earth are sadly prominent here. I really hoped rocketlab was genuine. I hope they get repeated launch failures, hurricanes and angry taniwha.
posted by unearthed at 7:30 PM on January 25, 2018 [2 favorites]

kiw kiwi
posted by unearthed at 7:40 PM on January 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

How dare they use space for something other than commerce or military applications!! The nerve!! Reminds me of these assholes.

Srs though, I was listening to the Radiolab where they get into the Kessler effect. Good times.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 10:23 PM on January 25, 2018 [1 favorite]

This brings to mind the musical wisdom: the world is a disco ball, and we're little mirrors one and all.
posted by Pronoiac at 5:07 AM on January 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

it sets a really, really bad precedent to put something into orbit that has no other purpose than to be visible on the ground

That ship sailed already, back in 1957. Sputnik 1 was pointless other than being visible (and audible by radio) from the ground. The USSR had planned to launch Object D as the first satellite, and it had instruments aboard, but it wasn't ready by the time the Soyuz rocket was ready to go and Sergei Korolev was anxious in the extreme to beat the Americans to orbit. Sputnik 1 was jury-rigged in a hurry to be a substitute. It was made mirror-shiny too, for the reason as this bird.
posted by Quindar Beep at 7:07 AM on January 26, 2018

That ship sailed already, back in 1957. Sputnik 1 was pointless other than being visible (and audible by radio) from the ground.

I think your comment conveniently ignores that it was the very first time anything was put into orbit.... you know.... *ever* ... and it was also specifically designed to make its tracking clear and easy to confirm (before worldwide ground radar installations were a thing) that it was in a specific intended orbit. It's been 60 years and "only purpose is to be visible" doesn't wash any more. The propaganda utility was a very convenient side effect.
posted by tclark at 8:22 AM on January 26, 2018

→ For no reason at all, here's what it looks like when a satellite goes through Hubble's field of view whilst you are trying to image something in the distant solar system.

So, like a fax machine with a hair stuck in the scanner?
posted by scruss at 9:28 AM on January 26, 2018

tclark: "Not because I have a worry about light pollution, but because it sets a really, really bad precedent to put something into orbit that has no other purpose than to be visible on the ground, rather than any reflections being incidental to the functioning of a spacecraft."

This isn't the only object to be launched with this sort of purpose. I'm drawing a blank on the details but I remember sometime in the 90s getting out to watch a solar mirror that was nominally supposed to be a proof of concept of using a mirror to light cities at night.
posted by Mitheral at 8:35 PM on January 26, 2018

The other thing about Sputnik was that it wasn't intended to be the first satellite; that was going to be a more complex and much larger satellite with scientific instruments called Object D. But development on that slipped, the performance of the rocket was less than expected, and the US was within a couple of months of it's first launch, so political pressure was applied to get 'the simplest satellite' up ASAP.

Very different times.

I've absolutely no problem with using space for cultural exploration - and you can't downplay the massive interaction between culture and space anyway. It's one of the defining features of the post-war age. Throwing stuff into space without telling anyone or discussing it first, though, is taking on a huge responsibility, no matter what your intent, and you'd best be prepared for the consequences.
posted by Devonian at 6:33 AM on January 27, 2018

Oh, I'd noticed that the official tracker was flaking out under load. If it had said "no visibility," try again.

For example, it suggests San Francisco in 36 days: the hamburger button says "3/6/2018, 6:12:18 AM."
posted by Pronoiac at 11:31 PM on January 28, 2018