Intruders-Alert

http://www.thehumanitystar.com/

You've probably seen the story by now in the news, but if you have any interest this website explains it and shows where it is currently. And you can enter your address or just city and it will tell you when you will be able to view it next.

It was put up by New Zealand's space program, and is essentially a big mirrored disco ball in space, the idea being that with a circumpolar orbit everyone on Earth will have the opportunity to view it at some point, should they wish.

It will appear as simply a very bright periodic flashing cutting a path across your sky over the period of a couple of minutes. Other satellites (usually dead, tumbling ones) produce flashes as the sun catches reflective surfaces, but as this was designed to reflect and has many mirrored facets, it will be extremely brilliant.

Take a look, if you find this interesting.

SWEEET

SWEEET

Looks a lot like my disco ball...

NASA should shine a super powerful laser beam on it and shine down disco lights all over earth.

JFL Live wrote:Looks a lot like my disco ball...

NASA should shine a super powerful laser beam on it and shine down disco lights all over earth.

Pretty much.

I bet John Travolta could resurrect his career with a Outdoor Version of Saturday Night Fever with this.

I can almost hear the Bee Gees tuning up for a replay of,..."staying alive, staying alive".... even now!

JFL Live wrote:Looks a lot like my disco ball...

NASA should shine a super powerful laser beam on it and shine down disco lights all over earth.

That would actually push it away...which is the basis for something neat that's coming soon...

jeffcoslacker wrote:
That would actually push it away...

Not before we could bust out some disco moves!

jeffcoslacker wrote:
which is the basis for something neat that's coming soon...

NASA thinks there's a way to get to Mars in three days?

Hmmm, Mars in 3 days huh?
That makes a celestial vacation a little more doable.

What ya gonna do once you get to Mars.....

Have a Mars bar!

Suzuki Johnny wrote:What ya gonna do once you get to Mars.....

Wait for Starman to pick us up in the Tesla and take us to dinner.

jeffcoslacker wrote:

JFL Live wrote:Looks a lot like my disco ball...

NASA should shine a super powerful laser beam on it and shine down disco lights all over earth.

That would actually push it away...which is the basis for something neat that's coming soon...

So if that would push it away could NASA use the laser beam to keep the ball in orbit instead of it falling back to Earth? [space] [space]

BlacktopTravelr wrote:

jeffcoslacker wrote:

JFL Live wrote:Looks a lot like my disco ball...

NASA should shine a super powerful laser beam on it and shine down disco lights all over earth.

That would actually push it away...which is the basis for something neat that's coming soon...

So if that would push it away could NASA use the laser beam to keep the ball in orbit instead of it falling back to Earth? [space] [space]

Good point!

JFL Live wrote:

BlacktopTravelr wrote:

jeffcoslacker wrote:

JFL Live wrote:Looks a lot like my disco ball...
NASA should shine a super powerful laser beam on it and shine down disco lights all over earth.

That would actually push it away...which is the basis for something neat that's coming soon...

So if that would push it away could NASA use the laser beam to keep the ball in orbit instead of it falling back to Earth? [space] [space]

Good point!

When you wish upon a star......

If the Humanity Star is just a geodesic sphere made from carbon fiber with 76 highly reflective panels, then how does it make a 180 degree turn when it gets to the top and bottom of its orbit? I have noticed this on other maps of satellites that orbit the earth. Why doesn't it just continue with its orbit around the earth? Does it have something to do with that flat earth theory? [space] ;IDunno: [space]

BlacktopTravelr wrote:If the Humanity Star is just a geodesic sphere made from carbon fiber with 76 highly reflective panels, then how does it make a 180 degree turn when it gets to the top and bottom of its orbit? I have noticed this on other maps of satellites that orbit the earth. Why doesn't it just continue with its orbit around the earth? Does it have something to do with that flat earth theory? [space] ;IDunno: [space]

WTF?

It just goes around and around, dude.

Oh I think i MAY know what you're talking about. When they plot orbits on a flat projection map, rather than a globe, it looks like they are going up and down like a yo-yo. That's not the case. You are just seeing both sides of the Earth at the same time, along with the horrible distortion of such maps. Makes an actual truly circular orbit look all kinds of crazy.

Here ya go dude. I think this will explain better than I can.