Always wished the Earth had a second moon? Then you will be pleased
to hear that the Chengdu Aerospace Science and Technology
Microelectronics System Research Institute has plans to launch multiple
mini moons, the first one of which will appear in the skies as early as
2020.To get more
Chengdu City news, you can visit shine news official website.
The
exciting announcement was made by the Institute’s Chairman, Wu
Chunfeng, at the National Mass Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Conference held in Chengdu from October 9 to 15, 2018. Similar to our
natural satellite, the artificial orb’s light will be obtained from the
sun and reflected to Earth by its mirror-like coating. However, since
the mini moon will be situated a mere 300 miles above the city of
Chengdu, it will appear eight-times brighter than the real moon.
According to Chunfeng, the amount of light being reflected can be
controlled from Earth and even switched off, if necessary.
While
the multiple mini moons will certainly appear picturesque, the purpose
of this challenging endeavor is to conserve resources. The Chengdu
Aerospace experts assert the mini moon’s dusk-like glow will allow them
to eliminate costly streetlights in China’s bustling cities. They
estimate that using the artificial satellite to light up just 31 square
miles (50 square kilometers) of Chengdu’s night sky will save the city
an estimated 1.2 billion yuan ($174 million) annually. Since the orb’s
location can be easily moved, it could also be used to shine light over
disaster-struck areas that have lost power.
Once the first mini
moon is working successfully, the experts plan to launch three
additional ones, hopefully by 2022. Together, the satellites, which will
take turns depending on their position relative to the sun, are
expected to light up an area of 2,000 to 4,000 square miles (3,600 to
6,400 square kilometers). While the orbs will be visible through a
telescope from anywhere on the globe, their real beauty will only be
seen by visiting the city. The officials, therefore, believe they will
be a huge tourist draw, helping boost Chengdu’s economy.
As is
often the case with radical breakthroughs, the artificial moons are
causing apprehension among some experts. They are concerned about the
moons’ impact on the sleep patterns of both humans and animals. However,
Chengdu Aerospace officials believe the satellites will cause minimal,
if any, disruption.
“We will only conduct our tests in an
uninhabited desert, so our light beams will not interfere with any
people or Earth-based space observation equipment,” Chunfeng told China
Daily. “When the satellite is in operation, people will see only a
bright star above, and not a giant moon as imagined.”The idea of
creating artificial moons to save energy is not new. In the 1990s,
Russia attempted to launch a solar-reflecting system of mirrors called
the Znamya 2 into space. However, the project was scrapped after one of
the satellites was destroyed during deployment. If the Chinese
scientists are successful, it could herald a new wave in harnessing the
sun’s energy and result in mini moons popping up over busy cities across
the world. Watch out Jupiter: your 67 satellites may soon pale in
comparison to the ones on Earth!
