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No Billboards in Space
An anonymous reader writes "CNN is reporting that the Federal Aviation Administration proposed Thursday to amend its regulations to ensure that it can enforce a law that prohibits 'obtrusive' advertising in zero gravity." From the article: "For instance, outsized billboards deployed by a space company into low Earth orbit could appear as large as the moon and be seen without a telescope, the FAA said. Big and bright advertisements might hinder astronomers."
And sorry, who is enforcing this law? I wasn't aware that the US owned space.
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No big, bright billboards by highways either- because they are a distraction to drivers.
Is it true that more people vote for the winner of American Idol, than vote for the president? -Ali G.
Europe annouces a space billboard initiative. Part of this initiative involves a unilateral declaration that any attempt to remove their billboards will be seen as an act of agression. Followed by what sounded like muffled laughter.
I don't care what you say, all I need is my Wumpabet soup.
If they occupy as much solid-angle as the moon, then they could eclipse the sun (or moon). Can you imagine disc-shaped billboards? I can see it now... "This eclipse brought to you by Coca-Cola!" Better yet, "All your photons are belong to us". - Joe
for when they forbid obtrusive advertising in CYBERspace.
Okay, the FAA controls the US airspace, right? So, they probably won't allow any of these LEO Billboards to be launched in the U.S.
Of course, there's virtually nothing they can do if an LEO craft is launched from some other location and meanders over the U.S. from time to time.
Perhaps they could do something if it were placed in a geostationary orbit over the U.S. but then it wouldn't be in LEO.
"It's a very tangled subsystem." --Windows kernel guru
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> So we could still make a deal if aliens drop by wanting to buy Jupiter.
Jupiter? Yeah, we at AlienClick [mttp://1.3.9.27.81.243] can do that. In fact, all these worlds can be yours for $39.99 per line, except Europa, which has been reserved by a prior bidder.
Team America: World police http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372588/ FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!
I'm a member of the astronomy club here in Orlando and Disney World about 35 miles away impedes our observations. Any astronomer will tell you that a full moon can ruin observations for the night and any billboard that's as bright as the moon and is in full brightness all the time is going to tick every astronomer off within the viewable region. I feel sorry for any country's astronomers where one of these things get put up.
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I'm pretty sure Dubya stated that he wants to bring democracy to the country of Space.
Anonymous Coward
Seriously, I don't think doing something like this would be a positive step for a company to take. They'd get a whole lot of publicity out of it right at the beginning, but pretty soon it'd become a major eyesore, and there'd be a lot of loathing towards them for putting it there. Looking at it would get old really quick.
There'd probably be some significant protesting outside their HQ and whatnot. There would be calls for boycotting, which would probably gain some traction, as people become more and more tired of it.
If some company did it, and it was only visible up there for a few days, they'd get some serious publicity, and if they let it die while it was still a novelty, they'd get mostly good press and an excited public. I'd check a website to find out when it'd be overhead, and then go watch it pass over a few times. Just as long as it doesn't stay long enough to become an eyesore.
After a few of these advertisements happened, it'd cease to be a novelty, and the excitement of seeing one would wear off, and people would turn against them.
That's how I imagine it at least.
One time I threw a brick at a duck.
An American Officer runs up to his superior and says excitedly: "Sir, Sir! The Soviets have painted the moon red, what should we do?"
After a little contemplation the man replied: "Take a bucket of white paint to the moon and write Coca Cola on it."
But my Mom says I'm cool! -Milhouse
The FCC can't mandate broadcast flag. The FCC can mandate what goes in space.
Religion can't stop suicide, but it can stop stem cell research.
I'm so damn confused.
Won't it be nice when nationalism fades?
Chairface Chippendale will be real disappointed.
SPOON!!!!
anyone find the actual text of this proposal? last time i checked there was no such thing as 'zero gravity'...
..somewhere at the NASA:
"Sir! Sir! The Russians! The Commies have started to paint the moon red! What shall we do?!"
"Hmm...don't stop them. Load up a shuttle with white paint and when they are finished we'll go up and write 'Coca Cola' on it."
It's like internet spam. The first few times they do it it will be a novelty, then nobody will use spam because it's not worth it.
Oh, wait, something's going overhead now:
'Erectile problems? Reach this sign with FREE VIAGRA!!!'
I'm glad we didn't regulate the skies...
Likewise, a lot of satellites never pass directly over US soil, but could still appear as large as the Moon to Americans.
That's virtually impossible. If my math is right, an advertisement in geosynchronous orbit would have to be about 325km accross in order to be the same size as the moon. Since it'd have to be at least semi-ridged (and assuming it was square), the cost of building a sign with a surface area of 105625 square kilometers would be enormous.