The South China Morning Post reported that the proposal by scientists at the Shanghai Research Institute of Satellite Engineering includes installing a magnetic crane that works on the principle of the hammer throw in athletics, and aims to rotate the crane arm at increasing speeds before sending the capsule back to Earth.
Scientists based their belief in the effectiveness of this idea on the unique environmental conditions on the surface of the moon, such as high vacuum and low gravity, where it will be possible to send samples and payloads at a rate of twice a day, and the cost of this transportation technology will reach only about 10% of the cost of the methods currently used.
“Since the installation of this technology will consume only electrical energy and will not require fuel, it will be very small in size and easy to implement,” the scientists said.
They also noted that the main goal would be to extract rare helium-3 to help provide clean energy on Earth. They believe the project will also contribute to the development of space mining technologies, heavy lift vehicles and artificial intelligence.
“The proposed launch system will use a 50-meter-long rotating boom and a high-temperature superconductor motor to launch the sample and resource capsules,” they added.
“After 10 minutes of launch, the crane’s rotation speed will reach the Moon’s escape velocity of 2.4 kilometers per second, about one-sixth of the Earth’s escape velocity, and put it on the right path to return to Earth.”
Scientists suggest that this system will be designed to last at least 20 years in operation, and will weigh about 80 tons, so before it can be delivered to the moon, it will be necessary to wait for the start of the Chinese super-loaded launch vehicle.
The Chinese newspaper also reported that the team working on the project suggested that it could be part of a proposed joint Russian-Chinese project to build a research station at the Moon’s South Pole by 2035.
Source: SCMP
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2024-08-18 13:22:51
