this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2026
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Yeah. The only way to cool things in space is to radiate it away with fins, or the more destructive approach of jettisoning material.
How do the fins help if there's no hot material being jettisoned? Are we assuming there is some atmosphere that will absorb the heat through (I'm guessing) convection?
Radiation is the part you are missing. The three ways of dissipating heat are: conduction, convection, and radiation which is what the "fins" do.
Doesn't it work out to something like a full kilometer of the things in order for it to work? The idea is pure madness.
Oh lord yes. Its why its stupid.
Depends on density. I think Scott Manley's analysis is probably correct. SpaceX knows how to deal with a few thousand watts of heat per satellite from starlink.
Then the question is whether a few kilowatts is enough compute per node to be worth the trouble.