A company called Planet uses over 140 satellites to take daily pictures of Earth. Now, some of these are flying 50 km/31 miles closer to the Earth’s surface. This new satellite trajectory allows the company to supply customers with higher-quality images more frequently.
The satellites the company uses are the size of a toaster oven, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX is flying more units into space.
Turning this news into a story, how cool would it be to see a badass park ranger who flies around the world ending deforestation and poaching? It could easily be a series, with each book a new installment in the battle against organized groups of farmers and poachers who are breaking the law.
Each book could start with the ranger keeping an eye on the images and looking for law-breaking. While home, he has typical problems to deal with, things like dealing with his family and car troubles. He could be a professor, like Indiana Jones, and is called upon to crack down whenever issues arise.
The pictures would show areas where the forest has been cleared away, or camps of poachers set up where nobody should be. When he goes out to the remote locations, he has to camp, investigate, and apprehend the bad guys. Every book would have a twist that there is a larger force involved, one which the hero has to take steps to eliminate.
Each book could see him whittling away the power of the corporations responsible for the poaching/deforestation, but the overarching threat of the “large corporation” would always be present.
There are many other uses for this technology, but the thought of a badass Indiana Jones-style Park Ranger sounds cool. I’m sure nobody thought archeology would be cool when Indiana Jones was pitched, though, so there’s hope!
