You must see umbrellas and parasols as elegant as well.

A precursor concept of a zero-drag satellite can be seen in Stargate SG1: "The Serpent's Venom", where an armed mine from an orbital minefield is brought aboard a shuttle, and the pilot must match the mine's trajectory changes.

"The Drag-free Satellite", the paper referenced in the Wikpedia article is from 1964, slightly older than SG1.

Also, your comment would be much nicer without the first sentence. And if you think about it, umbrellas are pretty neat. The folding mechanism is nifty, if you ask me.

look at this idiot, he can find beauty in elegant mechanisms!

It's so beautifully elegant to hold it aloft with your outstretched arm.