sabrinathecat
Explorer
Yep. There is a kickstarter to do just that. Not sure if it is still running or not, but the idea alone is pretty funny.
They're going to put a Tardis in Orbit!!!
- Thread starter sabrinathecat
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sabrinathecat
Explorer
Project is funded!
Ends June 29, so hurry to get your last-minute donation in!
Ends June 29, so hurry to get your last-minute donation in!
I don't like this project. I don't like it one bit.
On a fundamental level, it is inappropriate to send stuff in to orbit just for the hell of it. Debris in orbit is a huge problem . It's already a safety issue for satellites and astronauts that costs us untold millions of dollars just to monitor, and the cost of cleaning up even a small amount of debris is estimated to be billions. Even beyond the issue of debris, putting something into space is simply a huge burden on the environment. The idea that people are going to be sending a model into space just because it looks cool with no regards to the harm it could cause is not only naive, it's negligent and irresponsible.
I'm not saying that we shouldn't be sending things into space, or even that getting more non-sciency people interested in space isn't an admirable goal. I'm saying that anything we send into space should serve some purpose. It doesn't even have to be a purpose I support but, darnit, it needs to do something to justify the damage its going to do.
This project is the outer space equivalent to throwing a toy in a lake just to watch it sink. It's certainly something that would be a punishable offense if I saw my kids do it. No, it's not going to destroy the world by itself, but the philosophy that it's okay because it's too small to cause a problem is extremely dangerous. And if it ever becomes a common practice, we're all screwed.
Also, I can't help but get the impression that this project is nothing but a publicity stunt for an advertising company. Take a look into the company doing this, 3 Stags Productions. They're not involved in research, they're not providing any publicly available service, and it doesn't look like they even have any engineering expertise. They're an entertainment company. They "discover, nurture and promote new talent". It's obvious from reading their Kickstarter summary that they've already made and corrected some very basic engineering mistakes, and I get the general impression that they just don't know that the heck they're doing.
They're obviously pretty smart, though, because they figured out how to get a bunch of anonymous sci-fi fans to pay for their most expensive commercial. If this thing happens, it's going to be a central point of their marketing for years. It'll get them a ton of recognition, and could do wonders to promote their company. And it's all funded by people who are happy to throw money at them just for referencing one of their favorite shows.
And as a parting thought: what do you think the odds are that they got proper licensing to use the TARDIS name and image?
On a fundamental level, it is inappropriate to send stuff in to orbit just for the hell of it. Debris in orbit is a huge problem . It's already a safety issue for satellites and astronauts that costs us untold millions of dollars just to monitor, and the cost of cleaning up even a small amount of debris is estimated to be billions. Even beyond the issue of debris, putting something into space is simply a huge burden on the environment. The idea that people are going to be sending a model into space just because it looks cool with no regards to the harm it could cause is not only naive, it's negligent and irresponsible.
I'm not saying that we shouldn't be sending things into space, or even that getting more non-sciency people interested in space isn't an admirable goal. I'm saying that anything we send into space should serve some purpose. It doesn't even have to be a purpose I support but, darnit, it needs to do something to justify the damage its going to do.
This project is the outer space equivalent to throwing a toy in a lake just to watch it sink. It's certainly something that would be a punishable offense if I saw my kids do it. No, it's not going to destroy the world by itself, but the philosophy that it's okay because it's too small to cause a problem is extremely dangerous. And if it ever becomes a common practice, we're all screwed.
Also, I can't help but get the impression that this project is nothing but a publicity stunt for an advertising company. Take a look into the company doing this, 3 Stags Productions. They're not involved in research, they're not providing any publicly available service, and it doesn't look like they even have any engineering expertise. They're an entertainment company. They "discover, nurture and promote new talent". It's obvious from reading their Kickstarter summary that they've already made and corrected some very basic engineering mistakes, and I get the general impression that they just don't know that the heck they're doing.
They're obviously pretty smart, though, because they figured out how to get a bunch of anonymous sci-fi fans to pay for their most expensive commercial. If this thing happens, it's going to be a central point of their marketing for years. It'll get them a ton of recognition, and could do wonders to promote their company. And it's all funded by people who are happy to throw money at them just for referencing one of their favorite shows.
And as a parting thought: what do you think the odds are that they got proper licensing to use the TARDIS name and image?
MarkB
Legend
Yeah, I had similar misgivings. If you want to put up a useful telecoms or weather monitoring satellite and give it a TARDIS shaped shell, fine - but throwing something up there just for the heck of it, no.
There should be a hard-and-fast rule on such projects - unless it has a projected useful life in the decades and a transponder that will keep it easy to locate for recovery, nothing goes up without a reliable de-orbit motor to bring it back down again.
There should be a hard-and-fast rule on such projects - unless it has a projected useful life in the decades and a transponder that will keep it easy to locate for recovery, nothing goes up without a reliable de-orbit motor to bring it back down again.
sabrinathecat
Explorer
Purpose: INSPIRATION!
Yes, if a father/daughter team (not some corporation out to pull a publicity stunt) can build a functional satellite, which will be transmitting images of space and the earth, and get it into orbit, it means that others can too--those with the loftier goals.
Yes, I am sure some company is backing this for publicity reasons, and maybe even being the face of the project. But, the main people behind it are a Father and Daughter team. Yes, they are making mistakes. And LEARNING from them.
Tardis image? It's a british Police box. They stood on street corners and alleyways for 50 years! The police box design is well and truly into public domain (DisneyCorp hadn't forced the US gov't into extending it out at that point, and besides, this is a British icon). And if the BBC wanted to shut the project down, they would have. Chances are that if they slap a BBC logo on it somewhere, the BBC won't say a thing.
Clutter: most of that clutter is from objects that have broken off or escaped from Astronauts'/cosmonauts' hands or tools. A functional satellite, no matter how amateur, is not clutter. The position will be known and tracked. Furthermore, this satellite will be in low orbit, and will only be up for about 3-5 years before re-entry and burn up.
Also, there is a solution in the works for clutter. Essentially, it is a vacuum cleaner satellite. The exact purpose of this German-made project is to collect and remove the escaped nuts, bolts, wrenches, and other debris, and to push non-repairable satellites out of orbit so that they burn up sooner.
Yes, if a father/daughter team (not some corporation out to pull a publicity stunt) can build a functional satellite, which will be transmitting images of space and the earth, and get it into orbit, it means that others can too--those with the loftier goals.
Yes, I am sure some company is backing this for publicity reasons, and maybe even being the face of the project. But, the main people behind it are a Father and Daughter team. Yes, they are making mistakes. And LEARNING from them.
Tardis image? It's a british Police box. They stood on street corners and alleyways for 50 years! The police box design is well and truly into public domain (DisneyCorp hadn't forced the US gov't into extending it out at that point, and besides, this is a British icon). And if the BBC wanted to shut the project down, they would have. Chances are that if they slap a BBC logo on it somewhere, the BBC won't say a thing.
Clutter: most of that clutter is from objects that have broken off or escaped from Astronauts'/cosmonauts' hands or tools. A functional satellite, no matter how amateur, is not clutter. The position will be known and tracked. Furthermore, this satellite will be in low orbit, and will only be up for about 3-5 years before re-entry and burn up.
Also, there is a solution in the works for clutter. Essentially, it is a vacuum cleaner satellite. The exact purpose of this German-made project is to collect and remove the escaped nuts, bolts, wrenches, and other debris, and to push non-repairable satellites out of orbit so that they burn up sooner.
There have, in fact, been many others with similar goals. Here are a few examples:
http://petapixel.com/2012/09/21/dad-sends-his-sons-toy-train-to-space-creates-short-film-showing-the-journey/
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/09/the-150-space-camera-mit-students-beat-nasa-on-beer-money-budget/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/9531419/Teenager-floats-30-camera-into-space-to-capture-curvature-of-Earth.html
Just like the TARDIS project, these also inspire, they are done for the purpose of learning, and they are projects spearheaded by people that appear to be quite nice and friendly. I support all of these projects wholeheartedly. Unlike the TARDIS project, they all retrieved their toys when they were done. That is the part that I find offensive.
Furthermore, it would be interesting to know who this father/daughter team you talk about is, because they're not mentioned anywhere on the Kickstarter page or on the company's website. But, frankly, that doesn't matter. The question of who's behind the project or their goals doesn't mitigate the responsibility. The fact that there are a father/daughter team is nice, but it doesn't change what they're doing.
If the Kickstarter was "send a police box into space", I would never have asked the question. However, the name "TARDIS" and "Doctor Who" are both unquestionably trademarked and copyrighted. And this company is obviously using those names everywhere in their marketing and is clearly getting money from their use.
I understand that it's not really a critical point. I just found it interesting that the project never mentions the trademarks, the BBC, or acknowledges copyright ownership. In my experience, pretty much every officially licensed project requires an official reference to the owner, and most legitimate fair users (like fanfic writers and video game guide authors) will at least attempt to identify the original source. The fact that this project ignores the issue makes me go "hmm?"
You have pretty much summed up the worst reasons I have ever heard to justify pollution. "There's already so much junk, mine can't possibly make a difference." "The environment will take care of it by itself. That's what nature does." "Someone else will clean it up, so it doesn't matter if I leave a mess."
The politest way I can respond to this is: No. Just, no.
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sabrinathecat
Explorer
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