Japan launches satellite to test fake shooting stars
- 5 years ago
TOKYO — Shooting stars may become a luxury product in 2020. A Japanese start-up has sent one of its test satellites into space and if all goes well we might witness the world's first artificial meteor shower.
A satellite from a Japanese aerospace company called Astro Live Experiences, or ALE, has successfully entered Earth's orbit after being launched into space on Jan. 18.
ALE's first satellite will gather data on the environment of the Earth's atmosphere in order to determine the feasibility of creating an artificial meteor shower.
The satellite was launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on the Epsilon-4 rocket along with six other tech demo satellites. According to The Japan Times, the cost per launch of the Epsilon-4 is $50 million.
According to a press release by the company, the satellite is designed to imitate a meteor shower by firing small 1-centimeter metal pellets at high-speed into the Earth's atmosphere.
The space venture company states that the pellets will not cause any damage to existing satellites or air crafts because they will completely burn up at 60 to 80 kilometers above ground. Airplanes fly at an altitude of 10 kilometers.
During a meteor shower show, the pellets will travel one-fifth of the way around Earth before entering the atmosphere. On average, five to twenty pellets will be released, each of which will remain visible for roughly three to ten seconds.
The company hopes to create its first artificial meteor shower show above the city of Hiroshima. According to ALE, the shower will be visible to over 6 million people in an area of up to 200 kilometers.
But no matter how pretty the artificial meteor might look it raises the following question: Do we need to throw more junk into space? The answer for space debris and space junk expert Hugh Lewis is no.
In an interview with the BBC, he stated, "Given the fact that we're trying to encourage good behavior in the space environment and so on, just to throw things up there because they look pretty is a bit problematic."
Also, ordering a meteor shower for your date whenever and particularly, wherever you are is not as simple as the Japanese "space entertainment" company makes it seem. According to Lewis, "You could miss by an entire continent."
But honestly, you don't need to be an expert to realize this is probably one of the galactically dumbest and most wasteful ideas ever.
SOURCES:
Astro Live Experiences, The Japan Times, Fast Company, Futurism, CNET
http://star-ale.com/en/
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/01/18/national/japan-launches-epsilon-rocket-carrying-seven-satellites-including-one-supposed-generate-fake-meteor-shower/#.XEUnV2gzaUk
https://www.fastcompany.com/90293194/the-worlds-first-artificial-meteor-shower-is-set-to-fly-over-japan-tonight
https://futurism.com/sourcing-parts-quantum-computers-difficult
https://www.cnet.com/news/first-artificial-meteor-shower-might-outshine-natural-shooting-stars/
A satellite from a Japanese aerospace company called Astro Live Experiences, or ALE, has successfully entered Earth's orbit after being launched into space on Jan. 18.
ALE's first satellite will gather data on the environment of the Earth's atmosphere in order to determine the feasibility of creating an artificial meteor shower.
The satellite was launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on the Epsilon-4 rocket along with six other tech demo satellites. According to The Japan Times, the cost per launch of the Epsilon-4 is $50 million.
According to a press release by the company, the satellite is designed to imitate a meteor shower by firing small 1-centimeter metal pellets at high-speed into the Earth's atmosphere.
The space venture company states that the pellets will not cause any damage to existing satellites or air crafts because they will completely burn up at 60 to 80 kilometers above ground. Airplanes fly at an altitude of 10 kilometers.
During a meteor shower show, the pellets will travel one-fifth of the way around Earth before entering the atmosphere. On average, five to twenty pellets will be released, each of which will remain visible for roughly three to ten seconds.
The company hopes to create its first artificial meteor shower show above the city of Hiroshima. According to ALE, the shower will be visible to over 6 million people in an area of up to 200 kilometers.
But no matter how pretty the artificial meteor might look it raises the following question: Do we need to throw more junk into space? The answer for space debris and space junk expert Hugh Lewis is no.
In an interview with the BBC, he stated, "Given the fact that we're trying to encourage good behavior in the space environment and so on, just to throw things up there because they look pretty is a bit problematic."
Also, ordering a meteor shower for your date whenever and particularly, wherever you are is not as simple as the Japanese "space entertainment" company makes it seem. According to Lewis, "You could miss by an entire continent."
But honestly, you don't need to be an expert to realize this is probably one of the galactically dumbest and most wasteful ideas ever.
SOURCES:
Astro Live Experiences, The Japan Times, Fast Company, Futurism, CNET
http://star-ale.com/en/
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/01/18/national/japan-launches-epsilon-rocket-carrying-seven-satellites-including-one-supposed-generate-fake-meteor-shower/#.XEUnV2gzaUk
https://www.fastcompany.com/90293194/the-worlds-first-artificial-meteor-shower-is-set-to-fly-over-japan-tonight
https://futurism.com/sourcing-parts-quantum-computers-difficult
https://www.cnet.com/news/first-artificial-meteor-shower-might-outshine-natural-shooting-stars/