[Replica] Vast Active Living Intelligence System

[SunlitZelkova]

VALIS (Vast Active Living Intelligence System) is a near-omniscient, angel-like satellite that helps humans to overcome tyranny in Philip K. Dick's science fiction novels VALIS (1981) and Radio Free Albemuth (1985).

In Radio Free Albemuth, it was placed into Earth orbit by a species of gaseous life forms from a planet orbiting Fomalhaut A (dubbed "Albemuth" in the novel). In VALIS, the creators of the spacecraft are a species of three eyed aliens from Sirius, said to be the gods described by the Dogon people in Africa.

Here are the reference images. I had to use the (probably inaccurate) cover art from the first couple editions of Radio Free Albemuth. The design of the satellite is never mentioned in either novel, so it's all there really is.

Spoiler

However, based on the answers I got to a question in the Science & Spaceflight section's Questions That Don't Merit Their Own Thread thread, we can infer some details about how the satellite would be like.

• It would have to be in an inclined, super high altitude orbit (past GEO but not quite lunar L1)
• It would have to use non-reflective materials to stay undiscovered as long as it did

I could have used grey or black panels to make it and removed the lights, but I decided to go with the cover art because it looked cooler, and my first impression upon seeing the cover of this book on Wikipedia was very strong.