Didn’t that artist Cristof want to launch a package in orbit that would’ve formed a large ring of boxes that would’ve been visible everywhere it was nighttime? If so, what happened to the project?
While I’m on the topic: besides cost, what’s to stop someone (company) from putting up an orbiting billboard? If they did, would offended countries have the same right to shoot it down?
There’s so much junk floating around up there (useless satellites, discarded bits of nuts & bolts & such going back to the Apollo missions, even wee little chips of paint) that each space shuttle mission gets increasingly dangerous in terms of collisions. I think the international space community decided that a visible-from-earth billboard was a little over the top.
arghackchoke
If some offended country doesn’t shoot it down, I will. 
I don’t know of any international law against it. Aside from cost, I guess I’d agree with rastahomie that the space agencies of the world (those who own the rockets and launch sites, etc.) would frown on the idea. The telecommunications industry may also disapprove, considering the hundreds of satellites they have in orbit.
While on the topic of cost…Pizza Hut (the jerks) cancelled their idea to carve their logo on the moon with a laser due to the astronomical cost.
I think it’s strictly cost. The international space station is very expensive. You also need a telescope to look at it. To reach your target group of telescope owners, it would be much cheaper to put an ad in an astronomy magazine. [I don’t consider putting something seen as just a speck of light in the sky to be advertizing. There are plenty of other specks of light up there.]
If it’s big enough to recognize a logo on it, then it is a big target for all that space junk. Also, there is still some atmosphere out there and drag will bring it down fairly quickly.
Nope. You don’t need a telescope to see the ISS.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=38453
Although you do have to wait until the shuttle is docked with it. I imagine, though, at some point in building, it will become permanently visible. However, it is still VERY large.
Connor
I looked at the link. It does not make it clear. Are you sure that you can “see” the station without a telescope, and not just a spot of light?
Remember too that objects in space are only visible to a particular spot on the ground for a very short time. Just the little bit where the observer is in dark, but the object is still in the sun. The rest of the time the object is either dark, and can’t be seen, or it’s day, and it’s not bright enough.
Normally, you need to have charts calculated just to figure out when to go watch. So it’s not exactly a great advertising method anyway.
Oh, I imagine its just a dot of light. But even if Chrisof’s ‘thing’ was just a dot of light, there would be articles in newspapers, magazines, it would be all over the internet. Everyone would know exactly what it was. You would see the dot of light, and tell the person you’re with “Hey, there’s Christof’s picture of the pope”, or whatever it was. If it was an ad, say Pizza Hut, you’d see the dot of light, and say, “there’s the Pizza Hut ad”.
I personally think it would be well worth the advertising money. I mean, being the first corporation to put a visible (not discernable) from earth advertisement in space would be history in the making. You’d forever have a leg up. Don’t you think?
You can see lots and lots of man made stuff in orbit without a telescope. You just have to know when and where to look. This site will help you if you want to try. Iridium flare observation is fun but I’m pretty sure they are going to bring those down.
Um, the artist’s name is Christo, not Cristof, and a quick look at a site about his (and his wife’s - they are professionally known as “Christo and Jeanne-Claude”) work doesn’t mention a proposed orbital project.
Although I do think a large orbiting neon “Eats” sign, pointing to the Earth, would be amusing.
Pizza Hut was ready to carve their logo on the surface of the moon, but backed out when told it would be prohibitively expensive. Instead, they paid for a Russian rocket launch and plastered their logo all over the damned thing.
jb
retsin2000–I read on Spaceflight Now yesterday that a group of investors got together and bought the Iridium satelites. So they’re not going to de-orbit them after all.
FYI – Christof was the name of Ed Harris’ character in The Truman Show. It may be a satirical nudge at the artist.
Do we really want to give our position away so easily? This comes down to the old question after all… how best should we serve Humankind? Broiled or fried? 