Will not work... Even if you manage to keep your satellite in the shadow of Earth to avoid Sunlight... There is the problem that the thermal insulation coating on most satellites is typically made of sheets of thin plastic (Mylar) and silver.

NEXT: Frankenstein satellites made from parts of abnormal satellites at the end of their programmed life-cycle.

Tell Me How My Blog Tastes: Another possibility are satellites that harvest parts from other countries' sats. Not to make themselves run longer, just to screw over those other countries.

There are lots of 'rumors' of a classified semi-offshoot of DART that was intended to perform "adversarial maintenance" on other countries' black satellites. Mainly by grabbing them and performing a re-entry burn, but some were supposed to just fire a few rounds through their target.

Back-room rumor had it that we grabbed a British spy sat and waved to the camera, causing a poop-tossing incident back in 2005 or so.

erewhon: Tell Me How My Blog Tastes: Another possibility are satellites that harvest parts from other countries' sats. Not to make themselves run longer, just to screw over those other countries.

There are lots of 'rumors' of a classified semi-offshoot of DART that was intended to perform "adversarial maintenance" on other countries' black satellites. Mainly by grabbing them and performing a re-entry burn, but some were supposed to just fire a few rounds through their target.

Back-room rumor had it that we grabbed a British spy sat and waved to the camera, causing a poop-tossing incident back in 2005 or so.

Supposedly, in the 60s, the plan was to just spray paint the things black. Blinds the optics and cooks the electronics.

threadjackistan: Supposedly, in the 60s, the plan was to just spray paint the things black. Blinds the optics and cooks the electronics.

A space-rated .22 round through the works is cheap, too.

traylor: Will not work... Even if you manage to keep your satellite in the shadow of Earth to avoid Sunlight... There is the problem that the thermal insulation coating on most satellites is typically made of sheets of thin plastic (Mylar) and silver.

Silver? So would it sparkle in the sunlight? So then it kinda is like a vampire ....

erewhon: threadjackistan: Supposedly, in the 60s, the plan was to just spray paint the things black. Blinds the optics and cooks the electronics.

A space-rated .22 round through the works is cheap, too.

Spray paint is much less likely to create shrapnel that might damage your expensive intercept craft.

Buzz Droids!


"Tan-Ru"
"I AM NOMAD"
"Tan-RU"
"NOMAD"
(this does not end well)

Great. Let's make SkyNet a self-replicating machine. Those NEVER cause trouble.

threadjackistan: Spray paint is much less likely to create shrapnel that might damage your expensive intercept craft.

You could give it a space squeegee job on the camera optics...

Dragging it out of orbit is the NEW green, space environment friendly way of disposing of your competitor's assets. You don't even have to use chemical thrusters, just deploy a loop of wire and a resistive load, and down she goes.

Now we know how the Borg got started.

I for one welcome our self replicating robot space zombie overlords.

New zombie sats are far more likely than vampire sats. Sure, you may be able to pull pieces off, but installing them in a useful way on another bird is an entirely different story.

Cool pipe dream though.

NkThrasher: New zombie sats are far more likely than vampire sats. Sure, you may be able to pull pieces off, but installing them in a useful way on another bird is an entirely different story.

Cool pipe dream though.

Unless you design the new satellites to easily accept components from the old ones. And didnt the article say that this was mostly about the big ass-antennas that are the heaviest and bulkiest part of comm satellites? Seems like those would be fairly simple to change out than internal components.

Plus, once you've got your birds ready to accept salvaged components, it would be that much easier to launch new components and install them, rather than putting up a new bird entirely.

/I like birds.

threadjackistan: Unless you design the new satellites to easily accept components from the old ones. And didnt the article say that this was mostly about the big ass-antennas that are the heaviest and bulkiest part of comm satellites? Seems like those would be fairly simple to change out than internal components.



What, are they harvesting parts from South Park?




/hot

It seems like this could lead to companies that own satellites paying salvage companies for permission to use their own parts.