1 HN user recommended this explainer1 month2020–2023score 1
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
Linked as a worked look at the maths and assumptions of orbital sunshades, which concludes they are impractical.
Joe Scott takes a serious look at space sunshades as a climate fix, asking how big they would need to be, what they would cost and whether they would work. He draws on Roger Angel's paper and launch options.
“Here's a video of someone going through the maths and their various assumptions” (HN, 2021)
Solar shades the expensive way (as in right now, launch from Earth): [this video] After kickstarting a Lunar economy so you can manufacture and launch them well outside Earth's gravity well: [link]
Here's a video of someone going through the maths and their various assumptions: [this video] TLDR: It's preposterous in just about every way, from the number of shades needed to the costs to the number of launches required.
Works through the maths and assumptions of space sunshades; concludes impractical.
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