Soon after the release of the WISE all-sky catalogue of 500 million mid-infrared (IR) objects, suggestions were made that it could be used to search for extrasolar devices constructed by an advanced civilization to convert a significant fraction of their host star's luminosity into useful work: "technostructures", "megastructures" or "Dyson spheres/structures", hereafter DSMs, whose inevitable waste heat would be seen by WISE at mid-IR wavelengths. However, a trawl of several million potentially-habitable Gaia-detected stars for mid-IR-excess signatures is fraught with danger, due to both noise from such a large sample and, more importantly, confusion with the emission from dusty background galaxies. In light of a recent claim of seven potential DSMs in MNRAS, a brief rebuttal appeared on arXiv. Further to this response, the relevance of WISE-detected galaxies is discussed in more detail, leading to a seemingly tight limit on the number and lifetime of DSMs, and indeed intelligent worlds, in the ~600-pc-radius region patrolled by Gaia. However, the detectability of DSMs is questioned: a DSM might extinguish its star at optical/near-IR wavelengths, and thus either not appear or appear anomalously faint in a stellar catalogue. Moreover, a civilization advanced enough to construct a DSM is likely to be advanced enough to use countermeasures to mask its presence from us.
{"title":"Did WISE detect Dyson Spheres/Structures around Gaia-2MASS-selected stars?","authors":"Andrew W. Blain","doi":"arxiv-2409.11447","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2409.11447","url":null,"abstract":"Soon after the release of the WISE all-sky catalogue of 500 million\u0000mid-infrared (IR) objects, suggestions were made that it could be used to\u0000search for extrasolar devices constructed by an advanced civilization to\u0000convert a significant fraction of their host star's luminosity into useful\u0000work: \"technostructures\", \"megastructures\" or \"Dyson spheres/structures\",\u0000hereafter DSMs, whose inevitable waste heat would be seen by WISE at mid-IR\u0000wavelengths. However, a trawl of several million potentially-habitable\u0000Gaia-detected stars for mid-IR-excess signatures is fraught with danger, due to\u0000both noise from such a large sample and, more importantly, confusion with the\u0000emission from dusty background galaxies. In light of a recent claim of seven\u0000potential DSMs in MNRAS, a brief rebuttal appeared on arXiv. Further to this\u0000response, the relevance of WISE-detected galaxies is discussed in more detail,\u0000leading to a seemingly tight limit on the number and lifetime of DSMs, and\u0000indeed intelligent worlds, in the ~600-pc-radius region patrolled by Gaia.\u0000However, the detectability of DSMs is questioned: a DSM might extinguish its\u0000star at optical/near-IR wavelengths, and thus either not appear or appear\u0000anomalously faint in a stellar catalogue. Moreover, a civilization advanced\u0000enough to construct a DSM is likely to be advanced enough to use\u0000countermeasures to mask its presence from us.","PeriodicalId":501348,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - PHYS - Popular Physics","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142253349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Several studies have argued that the Milky Way was a representation of the ancient Egyptian sky goddess Nut. Here, I test this assumption by examining Nut's visual depictions on ancient Egyptian coffins. I assemble a catalog of 555 coffin elements, which includes 118 cosmological vignettes from the 21st/22nd Dynasties, and report several observations. First, I find that the cosmological vignette on the outer coffin of Nesitaudjatakhet bears a unique feature: a thick, undulating black curve that bisects Nut's star-studded body and recalls the Great Rift that cleaves the Milky Way in two. Moreover, it resembles similar features identified as the Milky Way on the bodies of Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni spiritual beings. Hence, I argue that the undulating curve on Nut's body is the first visual representation of the Milky Way identified in the Egyptian archaeological record. However, its rarity strengthens the conclusion reached by Graur (2024a): Though Nut and the Milky Way are linked, they are not synonymous. Instead of acting as a representation of Nut, the Milky Way is one more celestial phenomenon that, like the Sun and the stars, is associated with Nut in her role as the sky. Second, Nut's body is decorated with stars in only a quarter of the vignettes. If we associate Nut's naked and star-studded forms with the day and night sky, respectively, we would expect to see stars in half of the vignettes. This null hypothesis is rejected at $>6sigma$ statistical significance. For whatever reason, it appears that the Egyptians of the 21st/22nd Dynasties preferred the day sky over the night sky. Finally, I discuss the interplay between Nut's cosmological vignette and full-length portraits inside coffins from the New Kingdom to the Roman Period in light of Nut's combined cosmological and eschatological roles as an embodiment of the coffin.
{"title":"The Ancient Egyptian Cosmological Vignette: First Visual Evidence of the Milky Way and Trends in Coffin Depictions of the Sky Goddess Nut","authors":"Or Graur","doi":"arxiv-2409.10265","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2409.10265","url":null,"abstract":"Several studies have argued that the Milky Way was a representation of the\u0000ancient Egyptian sky goddess Nut. Here, I test this assumption by examining\u0000Nut's visual depictions on ancient Egyptian coffins. I assemble a catalog of\u0000555 coffin elements, which includes 118 cosmological vignettes from the\u000021st/22nd Dynasties, and report several observations. First, I find that the\u0000cosmological vignette on the outer coffin of Nesitaudjatakhet bears a unique\u0000feature: a thick, undulating black curve that bisects Nut's star-studded body\u0000and recalls the Great Rift that cleaves the Milky Way in two. Moreover, it\u0000resembles similar features identified as the Milky Way on the bodies of Navajo,\u0000Hopi, and Zuni spiritual beings. Hence, I argue that the undulating curve on\u0000Nut's body is the first visual representation of the Milky Way identified in\u0000the Egyptian archaeological record. However, its rarity strengthens the\u0000conclusion reached by Graur (2024a): Though Nut and the Milky Way are linked,\u0000they are not synonymous. Instead of acting as a representation of Nut, the\u0000Milky Way is one more celestial phenomenon that, like the Sun and the stars, is\u0000associated with Nut in her role as the sky. Second, Nut's body is decorated\u0000with stars in only a quarter of the vignettes. If we associate Nut's naked and\u0000star-studded forms with the day and night sky, respectively, we would expect to\u0000see stars in half of the vignettes. This null hypothesis is rejected at\u0000$>6sigma$ statistical significance. For whatever reason, it appears that the\u0000Egyptians of the 21st/22nd Dynasties preferred the day sky over the night sky.\u0000Finally, I discuss the interplay between Nut's cosmological vignette and\u0000full-length portraits inside coffins from the New Kingdom to the Roman Period\u0000in light of Nut's combined cosmological and eschatological roles as an\u0000embodiment of the coffin.","PeriodicalId":501348,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - PHYS - Popular Physics","volume":"39 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142253381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
We present a problem to be assigned or done as an in-class activity in an upper-division undergraduate course on computational physics. The problem involves a home run hit by Mickey Mantle on May 22, 1963, which he famously called ``the hardest ball I ever hit''. Is this home run truly one for the record books, or has it been eclipsed by players in the modern era? Modeling the trajectory of a baseball involves consideration of both wind resistance and the Magnus effect, and is an interesting application of numerical solution of ordinary differential equations. Ultimately, the answer is that Mantle would compare favorably to the most powerful batters currently playing, but to arrive at that conclusion we must reflect on the plausibility of results and sources of uncertainty.
{"title":"The hardest-hit home run?","authors":"Donald C. Warren","doi":"arxiv-2408.14529","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2408.14529","url":null,"abstract":"We present a problem to be assigned or done as an in-class activity in an\u0000upper-division undergraduate course on computational physics. The problem\u0000involves a home run hit by Mickey Mantle on May 22, 1963, which he famously\u0000called ``the hardest ball I ever hit''. Is this home run truly one for the\u0000record books, or has it been eclipsed by players in the modern era? Modeling\u0000the trajectory of a baseball involves consideration of both wind resistance and\u0000the Magnus effect, and is an interesting application of numerical solution of\u0000ordinary differential equations. Ultimately, the answer is that Mantle would\u0000compare favorably to the most powerful batters currently playing, but to arrive\u0000at that conclusion we must reflect on the plausibility of results and sources\u0000of uncertainty.","PeriodicalId":501348,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - PHYS - Popular Physics","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142184393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jacob Haqq-Misra, George Profitiliotis, Ravi Kopparapu
This study uses methods from futures studies to develop a set of ten self-consistent scenarios for Earth's 1000-year future, which can serve as examples for defining technosignature search strategies. We apply a novel worldbuilding pipeline that evaluates the dimensions of human needs in each scenario as a basis for defining the observable properties of the technosphere. Our scenarios include three with zero-growth stability, two that have collapsed into a stable state, one that oscillates between growth and collapse, and four that continue to grow. Only one scenario includes rapid growth that could lead to interstellar expansion. We examine absorption spectral features for a few scenarios to illustrate that nitrogen dioxide can serve as a technosignature to distinguish between present-day Earth, pre-agricultural Earth, and an industrial 1000-year future Earth. Three of our scenarios are spectrally indistinguishable from pre-agricultural Earth, even though these scenarios include expansive technospheres. Up to nine of these scenarios could represent steady-state examples that could persist for much longer timescales, and it remains possible that short-duration technospheres could be the most abundant. Our scenario set provides the basis for further systematic thinking about technosignature detection as well as for imagining a broad range of possibilities for Earth's future.
{"title":"Projections of Earth's technosphere. I. Scenario modeling, worldbuilding, and overview of remotely detectable technosignatures","authors":"Jacob Haqq-Misra, George Profitiliotis, Ravi Kopparapu","doi":"arxiv-2409.00067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2409.00067","url":null,"abstract":"This study uses methods from futures studies to develop a set of ten\u0000self-consistent scenarios for Earth's 1000-year future, which can serve as\u0000examples for defining technosignature search strategies. We apply a novel\u0000worldbuilding pipeline that evaluates the dimensions of human needs in each\u0000scenario as a basis for defining the observable properties of the technosphere.\u0000Our scenarios include three with zero-growth stability, two that have collapsed\u0000into a stable state, one that oscillates between growth and collapse, and four\u0000that continue to grow. Only one scenario includes rapid growth that could lead\u0000to interstellar expansion. We examine absorption spectral features for a few\u0000scenarios to illustrate that nitrogen dioxide can serve as a technosignature to\u0000distinguish between present-day Earth, pre-agricultural Earth, and an\u0000industrial 1000-year future Earth. Three of our scenarios are spectrally\u0000indistinguishable from pre-agricultural Earth, even though these scenarios\u0000include expansive technospheres. Up to nine of these scenarios could represent\u0000steady-state examples that could persist for much longer timescales, and it\u0000remains possible that short-duration technospheres could be the most abundant.\u0000Our scenario set provides the basis for further systematic thinking about\u0000technosignature detection as well as for imagining a broad range of\u0000possibilities for Earth's future.","PeriodicalId":501348,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - PHYS - Popular Physics","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142184395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Quantum Technologies and AI -- Interview with Tommaso Calarco","authors":"Matthias Klusch, Jörg Lässig, Frank K. Wilhelm","doi":"arxiv-2408.16014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2408.16014","url":null,"abstract":"Interview with prof. Tommaso Calarco from the Research Center J\"ulich\u0000(Germany) on Quantum Technologies and AI.","PeriodicalId":501348,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - PHYS - Popular Physics","volume":"68 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142184394","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
It was recently argued by Kemp et al. that HALEU (high-assay low-enriched uranium, or uranium enriched up to 19.75%) can conceivably be used to produce a nuclear weapon and on this basis civilian enrichment limits should be lowered to 10% or 12%. We find their argument unconvincing in several respects.
{"title":"On the practicalities of producing a nuclear weapon using high-assay low-enriched uranium","authors":"P. Cosgrove, N. Read","doi":"arxiv-2408.16013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2408.16013","url":null,"abstract":"It was recently argued by Kemp et al. that HALEU (high-assay low-enriched\u0000uranium, or uranium enriched up to 19.75%) can conceivably be used to produce\u0000a nuclear weapon and on this basis civilian enrichment limits should be lowered\u0000to 10% or 12%. We find their argument unconvincing in several respects.","PeriodicalId":501348,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - PHYS - Popular Physics","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142224009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Since Galileo and (more recently) D'Arcy Thompson, it has been understood that physical processes and constraints influence biological structures and their resulting functions. However these cross-discpline connections -- and their importance to growing scientific discplines such as biophysics -- are rarely tought in introductory physics courses. Here we examine how the laws of physics shape Darwinism evolution through the surface area to volume ratio, an important geometric measure of a structure. We develop conceptual cartoon clicker questions to enhance students' understanding of these interdisciplinary concepts. By connecting abstract physical laws with biological (and technological) applications, our approach aims to help students appreciate the deep connections between physical and biological sciences, thereby enriching the learning experience in introductory physics courses.
{"title":"Integrating Evolutionary Biology into Physics Classroom: Scaling, Dimension, Form and Function","authors":"Kausik S Das, Larry Gonick, Salem Al Mosleh","doi":"arxiv-2408.04070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2408.04070","url":null,"abstract":"Since Galileo and (more recently) D'Arcy Thompson, it has been understood\u0000that physical processes and constraints influence biological structures and\u0000their resulting functions. However these cross-discpline connections -- and\u0000their importance to growing scientific discplines such as biophysics -- are\u0000rarely tought in introductory physics courses. Here we examine how the laws of\u0000physics shape Darwinism evolution through the surface area to volume ratio, an\u0000important geometric measure of a structure. We develop conceptual cartoon\u0000clicker questions to enhance students' understanding of these interdisciplinary\u0000concepts. By connecting abstract physical laws with biological (and\u0000technological) applications, our approach aims to help students appreciate the\u0000deep connections between physical and biological sciences, thereby enriching\u0000the learning experience in introductory physics courses.","PeriodicalId":501348,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - PHYS - Popular Physics","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141946160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Science Fiction is using astronomy to offer to the public blockbusters at the movies (e.g. Interstellar), series or movies in streaming media (Don't Look Up, The Expanse), many books from classic authors (I. Asimov, A.C. Clarke) or more modern ones (K.S. Robinson), comics (the adventures of Valerian and Laureline), or video games (Mass Effect, No Man's sky) that have a very large cumulated audience. Astronomers can use Science Fiction to illustrate physics or astronomical facts. It might be a good way to talk about our work, our methods, by comparing them to examples with which a large audience is familiar. A few examples are provided in this contribution. In a recent study (Stanwey, 2022), it was shown that 93 percent of British professional astronomers have an interest for Science Fiction, and 69 percent consider that Science Fiction influenced their career or life choice. I am presenting a similar study made for French astronomers, performed during and just after the 2024 French astronomer meeting (Journees de la SF2A).
科幻小说正在利用天文学为公众提供电影大片（如《星际》）、流媒体系列或电影（《别抬头》、《无垠》）、许多经典作家（阿西莫夫、克拉克）或更现代的作家（K.S.罗宾逊）的书籍、漫画（《瓦莱里安和劳莱琳历险记》）或视频游戏（《质量效应》、《无人区》），这些作品的受众累积量非常大。天文学家可以用科幻小说来说明物理学或天文学事实。将我们的工作、我们的方法与大量受众熟悉的例子进行比较，可能是谈论我们的工作、我们的方法的好方法。本文将提供几个例子。最近的一项研究（Stanwey，2022 年）显示，93% 的英国职业天文学家对科幻小说感兴趣，69% 的人认为科幻小说影响了他们的职业或人生选择。我将介绍一项针对法国天文学家的类似研究，该研究是在2024年法国天文学家会议（Journees de la SF2A）期间和会后进行的。
{"title":"On the links between Astronomy, Astronomers, and Science Fiction","authors":"Samuel Boissier","doi":"arxiv-2408.03183","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2408.03183","url":null,"abstract":"Science Fiction is using astronomy to offer to the public blockbusters at the\u0000movies (e.g. Interstellar), series or movies in streaming media (Don't Look Up,\u0000The Expanse), many books from classic authors (I. Asimov, A.C. Clarke) or more\u0000modern ones (K.S. Robinson), comics (the adventures of Valerian and Laureline),\u0000or video games (Mass Effect, No Man's sky) that have a very large cumulated\u0000audience. Astronomers can use Science Fiction to illustrate physics or\u0000astronomical facts. It might be a good way to talk about our work, our methods,\u0000by comparing them to examples with which a large audience is familiar. A few\u0000examples are provided in this contribution. In a recent study (Stanwey, 2022),\u0000it was shown that 93 percent of British professional astronomers have an\u0000interest for Science Fiction, and 69 percent consider that Science Fiction\u0000influenced their career or life choice. I am presenting a similar study made\u0000for French astronomers, performed during and just after the 2024 French\u0000astronomer meeting (Journees de la SF2A).","PeriodicalId":501348,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - PHYS - Popular Physics","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141946148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
One of the most popular movie franchises of late is Legendary's Monsterverse as is evidenced by the gross earnings of the series recently surpassing the two and a half billion dollar mark with the release of $it{Godzilla X Kong}$. As is typical with many movies of this genre, in order to enjoy them one must suspend their disbelief when it comes to the laws of physics. While there are a plethora of examples of violations of basic principles (the square-cube law being the prime example) the idea of a "gravity inversion" occurring inside of the "Hollow Earth" is among the most debated as well as the most relevant to the storylines of the recent movies. The intent of this paper is to show that, while typical scientific arguments refuting the possibility of such an inversion are definitely completely correct, a slight modification of the conditions assumed to exist inside the planet in these arguments may allow for the inversion to actually occur.
最近最受欢迎的电影系列之一是传奇影业公司的《怪兽系列》（Monsterverse），该系列的总收入最近随着《哥斯拉大战金刚》（$it{Godzilla X Kong}$）的上映而突破了 25 亿美元大关。正如许多同类型电影的典型特征一样，要想欣赏这些电影，就必须放下对物理定律的不信任感。尽管违反基本原理的例子不胜枚举（最典型的例子就是方形立方体定律），但 "空心地球 "内部发生 "重力反转 "的想法是最受争议的，也是与近期电影故事情节最相关的。本文旨在说明，虽然驳斥这种反转可能性的典型科学论点肯定是完全正确的，但只要对这些论点中假定的地球内部存在的条件稍作修改，就可能使反转真正发生。
{"title":"Could a gravity inversion exist within the Hollow Earth of Legendary's Monsterverse?","authors":"R. Steven Millward","doi":"arxiv-2408.02867","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2408.02867","url":null,"abstract":"One of the most popular movie franchises of late is Legendary's Monsterverse\u0000as is evidenced by the gross earnings of the series recently surpassing the two\u0000and a half billion dollar mark with the release of $it{Godzilla X Kong}$. As\u0000is typical with many movies of this genre, in order to enjoy them one must\u0000suspend their disbelief when it comes to the laws of physics. While there are a\u0000plethora of examples of violations of basic principles (the square-cube law\u0000being the prime example) the idea of a \"gravity inversion\" occurring inside of\u0000the \"Hollow Earth\" is among the most debated as well as the most relevant to\u0000the storylines of the recent movies. The intent of this paper is to show that,\u0000while typical scientific arguments refuting the possibility of such an\u0000inversion are definitely completely correct, a slight modification of the\u0000conditions assumed to exist inside the planet in these arguments may allow for\u0000the inversion to actually occur.","PeriodicalId":501348,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - PHYS - Popular Physics","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141946147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
As the space industry matures, large space stations will be built. This paper organizes and documents constraints on the size of these space stations. Human frailty, station design, and construction impose these constraints. Human limitations include gravity, radiation, air pressure, rotational stability, population, and psychology. Station design limitations include gravity, population, material, geometry, mass, air pressure, and rotational stability. Limits on space station construction include construction approaches, very large stations, and historic station examples. This paper documents all these constraints for thoroughness and review; however, only a few constraints significantly limit the station size. This paper considers rotating stations with radii greater than 10 kilometers. Such stations may seem absurd today; however, with robotic automation and artificial intelligence, such sizes may become feasible in the future.
{"title":"Design Limits on Large Space Stations","authors":"David W. Jensen","doi":"arxiv-2408.00152","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/arxiv-2408.00152","url":null,"abstract":"As the space industry matures, large space stations will be built. This paper\u0000organizes and documents constraints on the size of these space stations. Human\u0000frailty, station design, and construction impose these constraints. Human\u0000limitations include gravity, radiation, air pressure, rotational stability,\u0000population, and psychology. Station design limitations include gravity,\u0000population, material, geometry, mass, air pressure, and rotational stability.\u0000Limits on space station construction include construction approaches, very\u0000large stations, and historic station examples. This paper documents all these\u0000constraints for thoroughness and review; however, only a few constraints\u0000significantly limit the station size. This paper considers rotating stations\u0000with radii greater than 10 kilometers. Such stations may seem absurd today;\u0000however, with robotic automation and artificial intelligence, such sizes may\u0000become feasible in the future.","PeriodicalId":501348,"journal":{"name":"arXiv - PHYS - Popular Physics","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141886849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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