Can BRC be seen from the International Space Station

wedeliver · Post by **wedeliver** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:20 pm

I am writing Nasa to find out viewing opportunities for this years camping trip. I was thinking it would be really cool if we could shine a laser on the ISS and maybe morse code something to them.

Anyone out there have the ability to make REALLY BRIGHT LIGHTS??

klondike_bar · Post by **klondike_bar** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:50 pm

your gonna need one hell of a light source.

take those spotlights outside large cinemas, and youll probably need at least3 of them to be vaugely noticeable. 5 and you could be a blip.

also, large lights typically require a warmup period, meaning morsecode is dud unless you literally blocked the light. (which would be scarily hot)

better of making a well-timed explosion. im pretty sure bikini atoll was seen from space.

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:30 pm

wedeliver wrote:I am writing Nasa to find out viewing opportunities for this years camping trip. I was thinking it would be really cool if we could shine a laser on the ISS and maybe morse code something to them.

Anyone out there have the ability to make REALLY BRIGHT LIGHTS??

I use this link whenever I want to look silly and stand in the street looking skyward.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/si ... index.html

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:27 pm

klondike_bar wrote: better of making a well-timed explosion. im pretty sure bikini atoll was seen from space.

By whom? SETI wasn't invented in 1946.

Timezone LaFontaine · Post by **Timezone LaFontaine** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 6:25 pm

theCryptofishist wrote:
klondike_bar wrote: better of making a well-timed explosion. im pretty sure bikini atoll was seen from space.
By whom? SETI wasn't invented in 1946.

Yeah... Yeah! The jig is up, spaceman!!

Post by **mdmf007** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:22 pm

Just what NASA wants is a bunch of unlicensed high power lasers aimed at the ISS, so the crew aboard can fry their retinas!

Wouldn't that be funny:

"ISS... Mission Control over" says the nice guy sitting in Houston Texas

"Go for ISS Houston..." Says the on shift ISS Commander.

"Hey take a look out window 4 at Northern Nevada, it is Burningman time and they have a treat for you"

"No Prob Houston... Just one moment - let me drift on over.....OH JESUS CHRIST - WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT????...... IM BLIND....... I CANT SEE...................... HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!"

klondike_bar · Post by **klondike_bar** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 5:58 am

Timezone LaFontaine wrote:
theCryptofishist wrote:
klondike_bar wrote: better of making a well-timed explosion. im pretty sure bikini atoll was seen from space.
By whom? SETI wasn't invented in 1946.
Yeah... Yeah! The jig is up, spaceman!!

okay, slightly exagerated. but im pretty sure i learned that it COULD have been seen from space.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:24 am

How many astronauts know Morse Code?

j_cavera · Post by **j_cavera** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:33 am

Wicked Lasers has a model with about 300mW output and a beam divergence of about 1 mrad. The ISS orbits at an altitude of 350km (ish). So, the final beam diameter on target would be about 350m or so (taking the small angle approximation). With an area of 96200 square meters, this would give an energy density of about 3 microwatts per square meter discounting atmospheric dispersion. Fortunately, that laser pointer is green (which the eye is particularly sensitive to) giving an apparent intensity of one lumen per 1/683rd fo a watt, or in our case, about 2 millilumens per square meter. This corresponds to a steller magnitude of about -6, or somewhat brighter than Venus on a good night.

So, IF you could target the ISS with such a laser pointer (a task left to the interested reader), they would be able to see us and not burn out eyeballs. Downward pointing cameras might take a bit of a hit, though.

Just so you know. And yes, I am a physicist.

- Jim

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 10:42 am

Ugly Dougly wrote:How many astronauts know Morse Code?

Kirk: [responds to a tapping within the wall] What's that noise?
Spock: [tapping continues] I believe it is a primitive form of communication known as morse Code.
Kirk: You're right. I'm out of practice.
[tapping]
Kirk: That's an "S".
Spock: "T".
Kirk: "A"... â€

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 2:20 pm

j_cavera wrote:...discounting atmospheric dispersion.

...which can be considerable depending on the weather.

And that assumes that they're gazing at the earth at exactly the right moment.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 10:54 pm

Sorry, forgot to look.

I think the waffle would have been visible though.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 6:19 am

Sail Man wrote:
Ugly Dougly wrote:How many astronauts know Morse Code?

Kirk: [responds to a tapping within the wall] What's that noise?
Spock: [tapping continues] I believe it is a primitive form of communication known as morse Code.
Kirk: You're right. I'm out of practice.
[tapping]
Kirk: That's an "S".
Spock: "T".
Kirk: "A"... â€

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 10:50 am

We need a giant neon sign that says, IGNORE ALL THE CELESTIAL GLORY, LOOK AT THIS RANDOM SPOT IN THE DESERT WHERE ALL THE ATTENTION WHORES ARE!

Think we could rig it? I'll volunteer to build the smiley if everyone else does their part.

LostinReno · Post by **LostinReno** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 11:08 am

Ugly Dougly wrote:We need a giant neon sign that says, IGNORE ALL THE CELESTIAL GLORY, LOOK AT THIS RANDOM SPOT IN THE DESERT WHERE ALL THE ATTENTION WHORES ARE!

Think we could rig it? I'll volunteer to build the smiley if everyone else does their part.

That's freaking brilliant!

sonoma9249 · Post by **sonoma9249** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 2:59 am

Hey I don't know if ISS could see the laser but here is a link to a site that you enter Long/Lat and it not only shows you the sky, but also the geographic location and you will see the ISS when it goes over. hope that helps javascript:emoticon(':arrow:') http://www.heavens-above.com/logon.asp?TimeOut=True

Can BRC be seen from the International Space Station

Can BRC be seen from the International Space Station

Re: Can BRC be seen from the International Space Station

It's called math...

Re: It's called math...