Brutkey

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social

Every astronomer who complains about satellite streaks has heard the same response from techbro-types: "Why don't you just put all your telescopes in space?"

There are an incredibly large number of reasons why that is totally not going to work. But here's another from Borloff et al "Satellite megaconstellations will threaten space-based astronomy"

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09759-5

Matt Blaze
@mattblaze@federate.social

@sundogplanets@mastodon.social "Just put your telescopes in space" starts out with a strong "let them eat cake" vibe, and yet somehow becomes even more infuriatingly entitled after you think about it.

rag. Gustavino Bevilacqua
@GustavinoBevilacqua@mastodon.cisti.org

@mattblaze@federate.social @sundogplanets@mastodon.social

Also the "Oh! There is a disabled veteran living in a cabin on the Rocky Mountains, and our satellites are the only connection he has with the world! And we give him our service FOR FREE!" is a very nasty commercial strategy.

Prof. Sam Lawler
@sundogplanets@mastodon.social

@GustavinoBevilacqua@mastodon.cisti.org @mattblaze@federate.social haha especially when they cut him off 2 months later

(Like Starlink did with Tonga, and Ukraine at various times...)

Michael Busch
@michael_w_busch@mastodon.online

@sundogplanets@mastodon.social @GustavinoBevilacqua@mastodon.cisti.org @mattblaze@federate.social

Or like how SpaceX made a big thing out of selling Starlink to the Hoh Tribe, only for the tribal government to switch to municipal fiber optic a few years because it was more affordable and reliable.