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(IAAC) Let's stop this somehow (Re: Blinded by the light)




Nick, good work! I wrote a response too. But after further consideration
on the matter, I decided I better not due to my "Navy.mil" address!

And I have no other way to email. Please can some others who do not
share my fear (:->) please make up for my inability to state the
obvious horror of this project.

I include a slightly edited account of Nick's message for others.

Danny

Nick Martin wrote:
>>http://www.newscientist.com/ns/980620/nspacemirror.html
>
>Les Cowley wrote:
>>The Space Regatta Consortium(SRC) Energia has a web site giving full
>>details of the project at
>>        http://www.energialtd.com//znamya.htm.
>>The project contact is Professor Vladimir S. Syromiatnikov
>>who has an e-mail address:
>>       vladimir.syromyatnikov@rsce.nasa.ru
>>I would suppose that he would be the person to contact with
>>queries protests etc.
>
>Nick
>
>Also a copy of a letter I sent.
> 
>>Dear Professor Syromiatnikov,
>>As an amateur astronomer and a lover of the natural world I am deeply
>>concerned with the Light from Space proposals for space illumination
>>systems. Apart from making the stars completely invisible for northern
>>cities, because of atmospheric scattering they will also affect a very large
>>area around the cities effectively abolishing the stars for a large part of
>>the population. The stars are part of our heritage and our view of them is
>>constantly under threat from poorly designed and carelessly placed terrestial
>>lighting installations. Light from space would be inescapable. I would
>>question the right of any commercial organisation to make this impact
>>without the consent of the whole population.
>>I would also wonder what the point of schemes to illuminate the Arctic as
>>the intensity of light would be too low by several orders of magnitude to
>>support plant photosynthesis. The light would be sufficiently bright however
>>to influence animal behaviour and in particular migrating birds which use
>>the stars for navigational purposes.
>>Nick Martin