Billboards in Space...

[Michel Van]

yep you read right: Billboard in Space

In 1993, the US company Space Marketing Inc. proposed "Space Billboard" a 1 km² illuminated billboard that would be launched into a low orbit and be visible from Earth.
from the ground it had look in size and brightness as the full moon

next to problem how to unfold a 1 km² illuminated billboard and the 10000 higher hit rate by space junk, the Space Marketing Inc. had no adequate funding.
soon after the news of proposal hit media. astronomer world wide began to protest
U.S. Congressman Ed Markey introduced a bill that banned all U.S. advertising in space.
in same time the U.N. demand a world wide ban on orbital Billboard more here http://www.unoosa.org/pdf/reports/ac105/AC105_777E.pdf

in 2009 another Company "Moonpublicity" proposed to carving into the lunar surface, advertising...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFZHoUVn0i8&feature=player_embedded

 

[Thiel]

Didn't NASA propose some sort of giant sunshade at one point as part of the AAP?

 

[Michel Van]

Didn't NASA propose some sort of giant sunshade at one point as part of the AAP?

that was Test of large deployable structures
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,7569.0.html
and the Able Solar mirror
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,5193.0.html


That technology could be use for a orbital billboard...

 

[Archibald]

There was also a 1989 project for some inflatable, water loaded balloon to be launched into a 800 km orbit. End result: it would mimmick the full Moon. Needless to say astronomers shot down the project (they had good reasons).

 

[Michel Van]

There was also a 1989 project for some inflatable, water loaded balloon to be launched into a 800 km orbit. End result: it would mimmick the full Moon. Needless to say astronomers shot down the project (they had good reasons).

yes, after Space Marketing Inc. proposal there were worldwide protest by astronomers, environmentalist and also Ufologist.
that inflatable, water loaded balloon project, was that not that french space art project “Anneau de Lumiere” by Groupe Spirale ?

 

[Jemiba]

Those are ideas, the world is waiting for ... :
(cartoon spoiled from http://de.toonpool.com/cartoons/Romanze_162898)

 

[Orionblamblam]

 

[Orionblamblam]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S4XEQd80pk

 

[Michel Van]

in 1960 Classic comic strip "Z comme Zorglub" by Franquin, Greg and Jidehem.
Try the Wannabe Evil Genius Zorglub, also Advertising on Moon surface but his minions made a little error...

 

[bigvlada]

They wrote it in Zorglubian
Some cool flying machines in that comic book series.

 

[OM]

...Tried finding a scan of the issue in question, but an old issue of the DC comic "Strange Adventures" dealt with the use of the Moon for something a bit more than just advertising. A century from "now", a comet passes through Earth's atmosphere, screwing up the ionosphere so that TV transmissions will not be possible for at least another century or two. However, since this is a science fiction comic published by DC, it has to have a happy ending. The solution is to use high-powered projectors to project TV pictures on the Moon's entire surface. And since a century from now we'll still only have three networks to choose from(*), the idea is to project all three images at the same time, and use polarizing lenses to let viewers choose what they want to watch.


Of course, this probably led to bootlegging using a camcorder stuck to a Celestron rig, but you can bet your bottom quatloo that it sent people back to the theaters better than any other trick the studios could come up with to regain all those couch potatoes...



(*) Laugh now, but the story was written when the DuMont network had gone belly-up, and the industry and the FCC truly believed there wouldn't be enough demand for a fourth network save for an educational one, with the best guesses being a fourth network being attempted again no earlier than the end of the 20th Century. At least Uncle 4E lived long enough to see that prediction flop

 

[shin_getter]

Recent events have inspired me a bit:

Would a space billboard be useful as "anti-censorship" (aka information domain warfare) asset? No regime can block the sky and information transmission can not be countered directly.

It would also be kind of a flex, a display of power, if that sort of thing is acceptable.
-----
The other question is how will other factions respond if anyone just launch a space billboard unilaterally. How many asat battery do astronomer societies have?

Is new future space an underexplored part of scifi?

 

[UpForce]

Would a space billboard be useful as "anti-censorship" (aka information domain warfare) asset?

I can't even begin to consider the likelihood of this happening but in a certain sense it seems like a very human or even a natural way of going about things - not all that different from some dude revving his gleaming Ferrari or a peacock showing off its feathers.

Also, quite quaint compared to all the social engineering that's going on; certainly a take reminiscent of Blade Runner's airships. It's easy to envision access to LEO becoming radically cheaper still, small sat swarming technology evolving in leaps and bounds, materials science enabling exceedingly lightweight reflectors or light sources and various deorbiting methods (electrostatic plasma braking etc.) making visual constellations impermanent and thus I suppose somewhat physically harmless, even.

I think you may somewhat underestimate totalitarian countries' control of behavior and draconian measures' purpose, also. It's more about signaling absolute control and subservience than effectiveness, so I can well imagine curfews and apparel being forced on already suffering people. In a true dystopia space billboards wouldn't transmit uplifting messages of support but cryptocurrency adverts, though.

 

[publiusr]

A large enough solar sail after a sun dive might be illuminated so if you had a strong enough beam. It would be a fly-by so not a permanent nuisance.

Now you can have drone configurations that can spell EAT AT JOE’S or whatever.

 

[NERVA]

Fine with it.

 

[martinbayer]

Question is though whether these days any skybased advertising would be compelling enough to make people look up from their phones.

 

[dan_inbox]

From 1965: "Z comme Zorglub" by the late André Franquin.

 

[muttly]

Billboard would say Eat At Joe's

 

[Orionblamblam]

Question is though whether these days any skybased advertising would be compelling enough to make people look up from their phones.

"This EMP event has been brought to you by Uncle Xi."

 

[Nik]

Would the 'Cola' ad be a nod to Arthur C Clarke's tales of the first Moon mission ? The one where they study solar wind by releasing a jetted plume of eg Caesium ?? But the 'dispenser' nozzle has an unauthorised insert...

 

[TomS]

Would the 'Cola' ad be a nod to Arthur C Clarke's tales of the first Moon mission ? The one where they study solar wind by releasing a jetted plume of eg Caesium ?? But the 'dispenser' nozzle has an unauthorised insert...

More likely just the same general perception that probably influenced Clarke, that Coca-Cola ads were everywhere.

 

[dan_inbox]

More likely just the same general perception that probably influenced Clarke, that Coca-Cola ads were everywhere.

... in too many places, and were an unwelcome pollution, yes.
That idea fits with Franquin's mildly anarchist-poetic approach.

 

[NERVA]

Fine with the idea.