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Home Engineering: Technology, News & Trends Why is The Shape of The Space Station Not Ring-shaped?

Why is The Shape of The Space Station Not Ring-shaped?

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Sci-fi ring-shaped space station

Since the emergence of human beings, curiosity about the unknown and the pursuit of constant exploration have always been the main driving force for the development of civilization. Especially in modern times, the progress of physical science and astronomy has deepened human understanding of nature and the universe. From the earth under our feet to the vast universe, we have not only expanded our horizons in cognition, but also set foot in space, landed on the moon, and plan to reach more planets.

Space Station in Science Fiction Movies

Since the space station is hundreds of kilometers away from the earth, the gravity of the earth has been greatly weakened, and the centripetal force generated by the rotation partly plays the role of gravity, so astronauts will encounter the effects of weightlessness and microgravity in the space station. This brings many inconveniences to daily life and work, and being in this environment for a long time may damage bones, muscles, etc. Whether it is possible to create a gravity environment similar to that of the earth in space has become an important topic. Although gravity cannot be directly enhanced, it can be achieved indirectly through rotation. This technology is common in science fiction works, such as “The Martian” and “Interstellar”, which simulate the gravity acceleration of the earth by rotating at a stable speed.

However, to this day, the ring-shaped space station only exists in science fiction novels and film and television works. In reality, the construction of the space station, which looks strange in appearance, has really taken a lot of effort and is a major engineering. Today’s International Space Station is the largest spacecraft in human history. It is located near the orbit of the earth. It was jointly initiated by the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, Europe, etc., and its operation complies with the agreement jointly formulated by multiple countries.

The reason why it looks strange is that this space station is not as easy to build as in science fiction movies. Many components are launched into space by different countries at a predetermined time and then assembled in space. Therefore, if we want to build a ring-shaped space station through assembly, the difficulty in actual construction is beyond the current level of human science and technology. Even the strange international space station has been built since 1998 and has been assembled successively to date. It is divided into three parts: functional components, laboratories, and solar panels.

International Space Station

Challenges Faced in Building A Space Station

On Earth, the gravity we feel comes from the gravity of the earth on objects, which determines the gravitational acceleration. If an object rotates, it will generate centripetal acceleration. Rotation can simulate gravity as long as the radius and rotation speed are controlled without causing discomfort. Based on the rotation period that the human body can withstand, if an acceleration of 0.8G is to be achieved, the rotation radius of the space station needs to be about 180 meters. In contrast, the length of the International Space Station is only 110 meters, and the existing core module is far from the ideal goal of 180 meters. Therefore, there are still many challenges in building such a huge ring-shaped space station.

There are three main reasons for the challenge. The first is the construction cost. The International Space Station has cost more than 160 billion US dollars, and a larger space station will require more budget. Technical breakthroughs are also needed, because no country currently has the technical ability to build such a huge structure. In addition, the existing space station has met the needs of scientific research, and there is no urgent need for the expensive simulated gravity environment. However, simulated gravity may become necessary when exploring more distant celestial bodies or leaving the solar system. With the advancement of science and technology, interstellar travel will require breakthroughs in energy utilization and simulated gravity. Future missions need to strike a balance between the two to achieve safe and healthy long-distance flights.

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