The hottest man-made moon or put on the agenda is

"Artificial moon" may be on the agenda. Is it a sharp weapon for lighting or a source of pollution

recently, Chengdu Aerospace Science and industry Microelectronics System Research Institute Co., Ltd. revealed that the "artificial moon" project conceived by the company is being demonstrated, and the first "artificial moon" will be launched in 2020

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in 2020, when you look up at the bright moon, you may also see a "Star" that can reach higher energy-saving standards when it is brighter or even thinner

recently, Chengdu Aerospace Science and industry Microelectronics System Research Institute Co., Ltd. revealed that the "artificial moon" project conceived by the company is being demonstrated, and the first "artificial moon" will be launched in 2020

the so-called "artificial moon" is an artificial lighting satellite with a large space reflector. Wu Chunfeng, chairman of the company, previously introduced that the "artificial moon" can use sunlight to provide illumination for the city, and its maximum illumination intensity can reach 8 times that of moonlight

Russia has tried, which is technically difficult.

Wu Chunfeng previously said that the "artificial moon" is expected to be deployed in a low earth orbit within 500 kilometers. In order to achieve 24-hour lighting, the project will launch three "artificial moons" before 2022, which will be equally divided into 360 degree orbital planes and operate alternately

Russia, located in high latitudes, has always been interested in "artificial moon". Pang Zhihao said that Russia has tested twice and wants to use the 22 meter diameter circular optical disk reflector on the Progress cargo spacecraft to reflect the sun's light. 1. All parts of the experimental machine should always be wiped clean of the day time in the polar region to save energy

the area of the reflector must be large enough to reflect enough sunlight, otherwise, the improvement of the brightness of the ground by the "artificial moon" is also limited. Taking the iridium satellite in orbit as a reference, someone made a rough estimate and believed that the "artificial moon" needed a 100 square meter reflector to achieve its declared reflective brightness

in other words, the reflector carried by this satellite should take into account the area, weight and reflective performance; To work in space, the reflector should be strong enough and the mechanical structure should be stable enough... "I personally think it is very difficult to launch such a big thing into such a high orbit and ensure that it will not fall off the chain for a long time." Said Gou Lijun, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

"for China, it is not necessary to be an 'artificial moon'." Pang Zhihao pointed out that, despite this, it is still meaningful to study this technology. At present, people are also imagining whether solar reflectors can be placed on the lunar orbit, so that the lunar probe can be less affected by the long moon night; It is also considered to place reflectors in the orbit of Mars to heat Mars and transform Mars to achieve livability. Therefore, the "artificial moon" technology can still play a role in other areas of space exploration

for the "artificial moon", there has indeed been controversy. "The 'artificial moon' is controlled by human beings. Human beings can adjust its irradiation time, area and brightness according to their needs." Pang Zhihao said that new technologies always have advantages and disadvantages, and the key depends on how to develop strengths and avoid weaknesses. "The 'artificial moon' is a new attempt to benefit mankind and protect natural resources." He said

or bring light pollution, astronomers also have a headache

"if it is to save energy, the fundamental solution is to scientifically and reasonably optimize the existing urban energy utilization mode, rather than launch a few satellites to reflect light. The cleaning method of Jinan test pull machine" is different from Pang Zhihao's optimism. Seeing the news, Ren Xiaodong told Science and technology that the night must be left behind

Ren Xiaodong said that if there are multiple "moons" in the sky, the first thing to be affected is the creatures that move at night. "All life on earth depends on the regular change of day and night, which exists in the gene sequences of all animals and plants. The increasingly serious light pollution itself interferes with the nighttime environment and ecosystem." Ren Xiaodong said that taking insects as an example, their breeding and foraging behaviors are directly related to light intensity. Light pollution will change the living habits, foraging sites and growth cycles of organisms

for human beings, having a "city that never sleeps" is not a good thing. Too much light at night will increase the risk of human suffering from obesity, depression, sleep disorders and other diseases. "The alternation of day and night is an objective natural law. Lighting cannot be increased indefinitely because human activities need light."

Wu Chunfeng believes that there is no need to worry about light pollution, because "the illumination of the 'artificial moon' felt by human eyes is only about one fifth of the illumination of road lights in real life". This statement also confused Ren Xiaodong: if the light intensity is not high, what is the meaning of an additional "artificial moon"? If the light intensity is high, it will inevitably cause light pollution

Gou Lijun also said frankly that this is not good news for astronomy. Astronomical observation requires an all black environment. "We generally divide the observed weather conditions into three grades, dark night, grey night and bright night, which are divided according to the presence or absence of the moon." Gou Lijun said that the "artificial moon" brings light pollution, which may affect astronomical observation

"so we don't quite understand the significance of this project." Ren Xiaodong believes that if we really want to launch the "artificial moon", the company should find relevant authoritative departments as the leading units, and jointly demonstrate the necessity and rationality of the "artificial moon" with experts, scholars and organizations in the fields of aerospace, astronomical observation, energy technology, ecological environment, medical health and so on

contacted the Tianfu New Area in Chengdu, where the company is located, and the staff of the area said that the launch of the "artificial moon" was the behavior of the company. Wu Chunfeng replied that the company is currently designing the unfolding mechanism of the reflector. "This matter is being tackled, and further reporting will become commercial hype, contrary to the original intention." He declined the request for further interview

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the implementation of the strategy of strengthening the country through science and technology and innovation driven development should be based on negative research and innovation. The essence of negative research and innovation lies in carrying out innovation with scientific spirit and realistic attitude, examining the consequences of innovation and constantly revising the direction of innovation. In the application of science and technology, if the great power of science and technology cannot be used cautiously and properly, it will inevitably cause many irreversible effects, which will not only waste human and material resources, but also make the public misunderstand scientific and technological innovation and affect the social attitude of supporting innovation. Projects such as "artificial moon" have a wide range of impacts, and are not just a kind of enterprise behavior. The enterprises and competent departments concerned should carefully evaluate and weigh the positive and negative consequences, carry out a systematic and in-depth evaluation, and accept questions from representatives of relevant interest groups, including the general public