₦airaland Forum

China is investigating how to build ultra-large spacecraft that are up to 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) long. But how feasible is the idea, and what would be the use of such a massive spacecraft?

The project is part of a wider call for research proposals from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, a funding agency managed by the country’s Ministry of Science and Technology. A research outline posted on the foundation’s website described such enormous spaceships as “major strategic aerospace equipment for the future use of space resources, exploration of the mysteries of the universe, and long-term living in orbit.”

https://cdn.hipwallpaper.com/i/27/29/HCDGYn.jpg


The foundation wants scientists to conduct research into new, lightweight design methods that could limit the amount of construction material that has to be lofted into orbit, and new techniques for safely assembling such massive structures in space. If funded, the feasibility study would run for five years and have a budget of 15 million yuan ($2.3 million).

The project might sound like science fiction, but former NASA chief technologist Mason Peck said the idea isn’t entirely off the wall, and the challenge is more a question of engineering than fundamental science.

“I think it’s entirely feasible,” Peck, now a professor of aerospace engineering at Cornell University, told Live Science. “I would describe the problems here not as insurmountable impediments, but rather problems of scale.”

By far the biggest challenge would be the price tag, noted Peck, due to the huge cost of launching objects and materials into space. The International Space Station (ISS), which is only 361 feet (110 meters) wide at its widest point according to NASA, cost roughly $100 billion to build, Peck said, so constructing something 10 times larger would strain even the most generous national space budget.

Much depends on what kind of structure the Chinese plan to build, though. The ISS is packed with equipment and is designed to accommodate humans, which significantly increases its mass. “If we’re talking about something that is simply long and not also heavy then it’s a different story,” Peck said.

Building techniques could also reduce the cost of getting a behemoth spaceship into space. The conventional approach would be to build components on Earth and then assemble them like Legos in orbit, said Peck, but 3D-printing technology could potentially turn compact raw materials into structural components of much larger dimensions in space.

An even more attractive option would be to source raw materials from the moon, which has low gravity compared with Earth, meaning that launching materials from its surface into space would be much easier, according to Peck. Still, that first requires launch infrastructure on the moon and is therefore not an option in the short term.
Big spaceship, big problems

A structure of such massive proportions will also face unique problems. Whenever a spacecraft is subjected to forces, whether from maneuvering in orbit or docking with another vehicle, the motion imparts energy to the spaceship’s structure that causes it to vibrate and bend, Peck explained. With such a large structure, these vibrations will take a long time to subside so it’s likely the spacecraft will require shock absorbers or active control to counteract those vibrations, he said.

Designers will also have to make careful trade-offs when deciding what altitude the spacecraft should orbit at, Peck said. At lower altitudes, drag from the outer atmosphere slows vehicles down, requiring them to constantly boost themselves back into a stable orbit. This is already an issue for the ISS, Peck noted, but for a much larger structure, which has more drag acting on it and would require more fuel to boost back into place, it would be a major concern.

On the flip side, launching to higher altitudes is much more expensive, and radiation levels increase quickly the further from Earth’s atmosphere an object gets, which will be a problem if the spacecraft houses humans.

But while building such a structure might be technically possible, it’s not feasible in any practical sense, said Michael Lembeck, a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who has worked on both government and commercial space programs.

“It’s kind of like us talking about building the Starship Enterprise,” he told Live Science. “It’s fantastical, not feasible, and fun to think about, but not very realistic for our level of technology,” given the cost, he said.

Given the research project’s tiny budget, it is likely only meant to be a small, academic study to map out the very earliest contours of such a project and identify technological gaps, Lembeck said. For comparison, the budget to build a capsule to take astronauts to the ISS was $3 billion. “So the level of effort here is extremely small compared to the outcomes that are desired,” he added.

There are also questions about what such a big spacecraft would be used for. Lembeck said possibilities include space manufacturing facilities that take advantage of microgravity and abundant solar power to build high-value products like semiconductors and optical equipment, or long-term habitats for off-world living. But both would entail enormous maintenance costs.

“The space station is a $3 billion a year enterprise,” Lembeck added. “Multiply that for larger facilities and it quickly becomes a rather large, expensive enterprise to pull off.”

China has also expressed interest in building enormous solar power arrays in orbit and beaming the power back to Earth via microwave beams, but Peck said the economics of such a project just don’t stack up. Peck has done some back-of-the-envelope calculations and estimates it would cost around $1,000 per watt, compared with just $2 per watt for energy generated from solar panels on Earth.

Perhaps the most promising application for such a large space structure would be scientific, Peck said. A space telescope of that scale could potentially see features on the surface of planets in other solar systems. “That could be transformative for our understanding of extrasolar planets and potentially life in the universe,” he added.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/china-wants-to-build-a-mega-spaceship-thats-nearly-a-mile-long/

Nostradamus1:
If u didn't get my point, I can't help you.No need for long epistles

That’s your affair.

milann:
Behind every female soldier there is a man

In what position…of authority?

Niger Republic immigrants?

doncollino:
It's easy to test where the poison came from, just that we have foolish leaders. The Juice pack is still there, the suya wrap is there, why all the waste of time

No, this would be too convenient, leading to possible factual outcomes. It is more enjoyable, laba-labaying on social media, casting aspersions at people as evil poisoners , witches or demons; cussing the country, thus negatively impacting local economies etc. On the other hand, lack of organization leads to an environment whereby people are generally uniformed on what to do or where to turn, no one takes charge, and there aren’t readily available setups for people to contact for information.

doncollino:
It's easy to test where the poison came from, just that we have foolish leaders. The Juice pack is still there, the suya wrap is there, why all the waste of time

No, this would be too convenient, leading to possible factual outcomes. It is more enjoyable, laba-labaying on social media, casting aspersions at people as evil poisoners , witches or demons; cussing the country, thus negatively impacting local economies etc.

kponkedenge:
How some people leave Nigeria to a country and system that works very well and then dive into crime is something I'll never understand.

There are many legitimate job opportunities in the US, even with your hacking skills, you can be employed anywhere....but yet dem no gree.

It's just madness.

Now there’s an opportunity for some enterprising Nigerian fellow to make money through literature by interviewing Nigerians, imprisoned for fraud in foreign nations, on why exactly they engaged in fraud in the midst of an overabundance of opportunity. Volum 2 should encompass why natives of these foreign nations commit crime though surrounded by an embracement of plenty.

Shirley03:
What kind of a useless country is this?
Decentralize this useless govt so states can protect themselves. FG has too many burden.
All they think about is Oil

Eh, what the governor intends is exactly more of what presidents of your hoped for decentralized states would enact.

FalseProphet1:
The suya didn't kill them, the juice most likely did cos it's expired. If you check on the packet you'll most likely find it to be an expired product.

In Nigeria dealers value profit more than human lives.

Rip to the dead, this year will be Buhari's last as president of this country.

This I have seen.

In reference to the highlighted, would you advice foreigners visiting Nigeria not to try Nigeria's street foods?

ericuzor:
my bro lives in Sydney and the light does not blink, Australia is not a 3rd world country so where did you get this info from

Last year, there were 94 significant power outages reported across Australia and New Zealand, according to the Eaton Blackout Tracker. The causes ranged from rampaging hot air balloons to kamikaze possums. Let’s dig into the statistics.
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2013/02/how-frequent-were-power-blackouts-in-2012-and-what-caused-them/

Tony Webster
, lives in Australia
Answered October 24, 2020

Power outages are common in Queensland in the spring and summer when the storm's come. If the power goes off for too long, then the electricity provider takes it off the bill.
www.quora.com/

Anyway, I saw or read somewhere that Australia experience frequent power cuts, it’s perhaps one of the reasons Elun Muck’s Tesla Power batteries solutions caused so much fuss on the news earlier in the year and last year.

Elon Musk has agreed to build what is being hailed the "world’s largest virtual power plant", by rolling out solar panels and Tesla batteries to 50,000 homes in South Australia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OdmN5Mh72k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t2lnSCIafE

Problem with India is that like Nigeria they air all their problems, so info is easy to get on them. Can’t find stuff on Brazil but I’ve seen Brazilians on Aljazeera or somewhere else mentioning frequent power cuts.

membranus:
A onetime episode in one city in India n 2012, and you are not ashamed to quote it? This is 2021, and your wretched country can not light up a single city for 24 hours without blinking.

Frequency of power outages in grid-electrified Indian households between 2019 and 2020, by region

According to the India residential energy survey conducted in 2019 and 2020, over half of the rural households in India had electricity outages few times per day. However, about 23 percent of the urban households did not have any electricity outages in that time period.

However, about 23 percent of the urban households did not have any electricity outages


https://www.statista.com/statistics/1245470/india-frequency-of-power-outages-in-households-by-region/

KingWarri:
So, What are you trying to imply here?

Why the lights keep going out in South Africa

https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2019/02/21/why-the-lights-keep-going-out-in-south-africa

membranus:
Where do you get this lie? I was in Bengaluru (Bangalore) in India for six months, and we never experience a single day darkness.

The reason for India's massive blackout problems

https://www.pri.org/stories/2012-07-31/reason-indias-massive-blackout-problems


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17fgS-vhRIQ


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsKpOnBEdc8

How Darkness Sheds Light: India’s Democratic Dysfunction India’s recent power

https://thediplomat.com/2012/08/how-darkness-sheds-light-indias-democratic-dysfunction/

ericuzor:
but they have steady light and we don't here in Nigeria so who is fooling who.

They don’t have steady light in Brazil, India, Australia (surprisingly (I think it was Austerlia), and many other Nations besides. Let’s be glad for Benin Republic’s steady electricity and discourage them from relying on France and Europe for Survival Aid.

BigRocky:
Delusional animals..

Fulani need to go on extinction for Africa to have peace..

Illiteracy at its peak

Tueh

Take it easy and take back the wish.

Nostradamus1:
God do not love any particular group of people special .Stop making mockery of God.This is how Nigeria has become polarized. The South believes that they are special and that Northerners are dunces while the North beliefs that they are special and the Southerners are dunces

I'm a Nigerian, if you’re not a Nigerian, and I say God loves Nigerian people, what is your business? However, if you’re a Nigerian and it offends you that I implied that the gods love Nigerians, please accept my apology. I’ve eventually learned that some people are immensely offended by any mention of Gods, so I do understand.

Cyprus Mail

All post to Nigeria suspended.

Cyprus Post said on Wednesday it had suspended all post to Nigeria.

“Due to the impossibility of finding air carrier for the transport of mail, the acceptance of mail of all categories (Letter, Parcel, EMS/Datapost) to Nigeria is suspended,” the brief announcement said.

https://cyprus-mail.com/2021/09/01/all-post-to-nigeria-suspended/

I ain falling for yall fake stupidity. Actually, not fake stupidity, that’s real enough, fake ignorance is the one...

Why did i see Anus Fati

DubaiLandLord:
It won't be possible under GMB. Majority of this killers/kidnappers are Fulanis. They are called bandits in the North, while they are known as Fulani heardsmen in the South.

There might be no solution under this called GMB.

When an indigenous Christian community was attack in Plateau state, the President was busy drinking a very cold fura in Aso Rock and felt unconcerned. Once the indigenous people retaliated, by killing fulanis traveling in a bus, he lost the appetite to drink fura and even release a press statement condemning the attack.

Perhaps when the Gods love a people or sympathise with a cause they use particular individuals in order to set about the requisite changes that benefit the people or the cause; for example, George Floyd’s death to synthesize all of African Americas cries of racial injustice so long overlooked. Perhaps due to Buhari Nigerians will better understand the privilege and power of the vote.

kingsways:
I wonder what Police and military men and women are doing in the barracks while bandits, terrorists and kidnappers are having a field day

Every dan soldier, police and civil defence should be in the Bush fighting these people... too many people are just collecting salary for doing nothing

Quoting just so that it can be reread.

One day, out of pity, God needs to create a gigantic field and place all Nigerians there so that his angels can bulldoze every building, road and street, while muttering, “these people keep building crap on top of crap along crap and sometimes trying to beautify crap! Nope, we cant take these eyesores no-more, not on gods earth, and it all has to go, so that they can start afresh and build their cities, towns and villages along thoroughly planned paths!'.

Body of British journalist to be repatriated

The body of a British journalist killed by armed robbers while on a reporting trip to Ghana is being repatriated on Wednesday.

Syed Taalay Ahmed, 31, from Hartlepool in north-east England worked for the UK-based Muslim Television Ahmadiyaa International network.

Mr Ahmed leaves behind a wife and two children.

The young journalist was filming a documentary when armed robbers ambushed him and his crew, as they travelled on a major highway last week.

According to his employer, the documentary was meant to highlight the charity works conducted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.

Ghanaian police say they’ve killed two suspects and arrested four others. They also recovered weapons and stolen items from the robbers.

The police said in a statement that the gang was suspected of being behind several other violent attacks.

Ghana has a reputation for being relatively safe, but highway robberies are becoming increasingly common across the country.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-africa-47639452?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=612f34c5b19a573a6ec38d24%26Body%20of%20British%20journalist%20to%20be%20repatriated%262021-09-01T08%3A26%3A28.147Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:7e0cef56-6f6f-4395-bfb5-f9dcc0b3412e&pinned_post_asset_id=612f34c5b19a573a6ec38d24&pinned_post_type=share

cutievik:
Business, while negotiations are on going they are up and about looking to kidnap the next set...
Even the NDA incident hasn't been responded to by the AFN.

Bandits are Motherfvckerss.

What if Nigeria begins prosecuting kidnappers, speeding the convicted through the system and executing them?

DubaiLandLord:
Bandits have abducted students of a Secondary School in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Details of the incident are still sketchy but the armed men were said to have broken into the school on Wednesday morning.

A resident of the community told our correspondent that the armed men stormed the school around 11:30am when the students were writing examination.

“They blocked the doors to the classrooms and asked the students to step out.”

“Some of the students managed to escape the assault by jumping out of classrooms through the windows to hide inside nearby sorghum plantations,” the resident said.


The number of the students kidnapped can not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report but the abducted female students tend outnumber the male ones because the school is mixed.

The development comes a few days after some students abducted in the state regained freedom.

https://dailytrust.com/breaking-students-abducted-as-bandits-hit-another-school-in-zamfara

Aljazeera states 70 pupils. Who isn’t learning from history up North?

Rolly22:
It’s not about our leaders, we are Just heartless and Selfish creatures, our leaders are Just reflections of who we are.

Don’t be offensive, mister. Say YOU and those that YOU know are heartless and selfish Creatures, don’t label me and the Nigerians that I know selfish and heartless because we are not. In fact, I don’t know any people, race or nationalities more generous, kinder or more loving than Nigerians I know. My mum saved many lives in Nigeria. There are even Nigerians I don’t know personally that seem to give what they have to others and many raise money for unrelated people that need help. I may be wrong, but aren’t Nigerians even the world’s no one in remittance? Good percentage of these Nigerians struggle to make end meet abroad but they send what they can to Nigeria and in so many cases send what they cannot afford.

I personally don’t believe that there are any kinder people in the world than Nigerians.

JessetariahMD:
Them need to remove some state from nigeria
All this state contributing zero positive thing for this country
But 100% negativity

Except what Nigeria's, frankly decrepit, trollish, media feeds you, what do you know about the state to arrive at this damming conclusion?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9oGnqxYpE4


https://www.seedrs.com/floatwind