China shares ambitious plans to double its space station as the ISS approaches the end of its life cycle::undefined

  • raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    43
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    Sadly enough, the international community is really good at infighting and wasting money, and really bad at coming up with a followup for the ISS :( So China, for all its flaws, will have the biggest functioning space station in LEO at some point. ISS operations have just been extended to 2034, but if we get a single micrometeorite hit in the wrong spot (e.g. Node 2), that’ll put an end to it.

    • SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      1 year ago

      I wish the world was better at just giving a ton of money to science and space. It’s such an obvious use of money, if you ask me.

      Especially since the future of humanity, given that we survive, is in space. There is a lot of potential for space-based infrastructure.

      • SpacetimeMachine@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        10
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Too many people think that when we spend money on space, that we are literally sending the money into orbit. Almost all of it is going back into the economy and keeping tons of businesses alive.

  • OldWoodFrame@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    I don’t really understand how the entire ISS could be “end of life cycle.” Aren’t there a bunch of different modules of different ages? And anyway, the oldest modules are 24 years old that is nothing with proper maintenance, there are 50 year old trains still in operation daily.

    • Beardsley@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      22
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Space trains fall under a different regulating authority than space stations, unfortunately.

    • SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      If a train fails, at worst that will happen is it will stop. When a space station fails, the worst that will happen is everyone inside dies.

      In addition, a space station is far more expensive, and it may be simply too expensive to still maintain old technology. Ideally, at some point, one will replace it with a newer, more modern, space station. Which will both be cheaper, and allow more, novel, science to be done. Although I don’t know if there is any plan for that.

      I’d like to see a space station with a rotating ring, that generates artificial gravity through centrifugal acceleration.

    • 0x0@programming.dev
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      I don’t know why can’t they just send it to a Lagrange point and leave it there. Burning it seems like literally burning money.

  • MrSpArkle@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    10
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    Space races are good for science. As long as spacex engineers keep Elon at bay, Starship should be able to launch stage biggest station modules in history.

  • fruitleatherpostcard@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    arrow-down
    29
    ·
    1 year ago

    China shouldn’t be allowed any expansion until they reach themselves of their current hideous government.