Posted on 08/04/2007 5:09:13 PM PDT by saganite
Bigelow Aerospace's Genesis 2 inflatable space module has been turned into an orbital billboard - not the kind you can see from Earth, but the kind that can project ads or announcements onto the spacecraft's skin itself, with a picture taken for posterity. And as of now, the billboard is open for business, according to the private space effort's billionaire backer.
The first picture showing the billboard in action was put up on Bigelow Aerospace's Web site on Thursday, and company founder Robert Bigelow reported that more samples were posted today. The samples range from small company logos to big color photographs of Bigelow Aerospace employees.
"We use ourselves as guinea pigs on a lot of things here," said Bigelow, a Las Vegas real-estate magnate.
The images are uploaded to the spacecraft via Bigelow Aerospace's data communication system, and displayed by a digital projector mounted on the tip of one of Genesis 2's solar arrays. The picture has to be projected while the spacecraft is on Earth's dark side - otherwise, the image would be washed out by the sun's glare. A camera, also mounted on the arrays, takes a picture of the projected image. That's what's transmitted back down to Earth.
The images can be text messages, of course. Bigelow said one of the messages he had sent up reads "Hello Alien Friends" - a nod to his past interest in the search for extraterrestrial life.
"We're just playing around with this, just kind of having fun," Bigelow said. "Don't know who would be interested. We have no idea."
(Excerpt) Read more at cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com ...
ping
The "tards" are the ping list members - not necessarily the subject of the thread.
I think Jim Rob should call up and offer $100 to put FreeRepublic on the side. He could use it for the next freepathon.
This is right up your alley.
I got question Monk how did Looter guy get his beer up there without getting deflated
Kinda like Asimov`s story ‘Buy Jupiter’ on a slightly
smaller scale.
Didn’t the government ban space ads?
I’m wonderin’ how he’s gonna drink it!
You slay me once again, Monk! :)
I know someone can come up with something funny for this!
For those two the dominating space is most likely the bedroom.
just got off a rainy golf course ( shot an 88 tho)
Rain? We have had our share in Houston. Its rained something like 33 days out of 42 days. Many of the businesses are complaining because lack of sales.
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