Re: OT: Surely there's an SF story with this.....

On 8/29/2024 1:07 PM, Cryptoengineer wrote:

Reflect Orbital
 
https://www.reflectorbital.com/lighting
 
is proposing to launch a fleet of orbital mirrors to provide lighting
to nighttime locations on the Earth.
 
They claim they will be able to light up a 5km diameter circle for
4 minutes. They're accepting reservations, but I can't find any
pricing. They expect to start in Q4 2025.
 
I'm *extremely* skeptical. To be even as bright as moonlight,
the mirror would have to appear 1/7 the area of the Moon in
the sky.
 
I can't think of a use case for 4 minutes of light, but they
also talk about using it to power up solar panel systems at
night, which makes no sense.
 
I think its either an art project, or some kind of scam to
fleece investors who are bad at math.
 
Still, very stfnal.
 
pt

>
"Live Free or Die" by John Ringo is close to the concept.  The
protagonist uses millions of mirrors by Sol to melt metal heavy
asteroids and protect Earth from invaders coming through the new Star Gate.