Friday, April 11, 2008

Satellite Abandoned Thanks To Patent On Lunar Flybys


From Techdirt.com and the WTF! or you gota be kiddin me department come one of the most ridiculous things I think I have ever head of pertaining to the space program.... It reads like this.

Satellite company SES Americom has to abandon a satellite that had a botched launch due to a ridiculous patent on the concept of a lunar flyby. Basically, what happened is that SES had a problem with a satellite launch, such that the satellite did not reach the proper orbit (it was intended to be a geostationary satellite used by Echostar). SES then figured out that it could get the satellite into a proper orbit by making use of a lunar flyby. That part is just basic physics. But, at that point, SES discovered that Boeing happens to own a patent on doing this sort of lunar flyby, despite the fact that you can't patent physics.

Ever heard the saying "If you can't dazzle em with brilliance....baffle em with BS!"? That seems to be the case. Boeing merely used some jargon to make basic physics appear as a "process." and some numknow at the patent office gives it a rubber stamp and an okeeeedoughkeeeeeeee! Either that or there is some governmental colusion going on here, because that is the stupidest thing I ever heard. Come on! You're telling me that anytime NASA is going to put a spacecraft near the moon they have to pay a licencing fee to Boeing? B.S.!

Boeing BS patent can be found HERE

Complete story here



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