While the International Space Station (ISS) prepares for a watery grave in 2030, Russia is looking up \u2014 and spinning.<\/p>\n
The Russian state rocket company, Energia, has officially secured a patent for a giant, rotating space architect, according to Space.com.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is designed to solve the single greatest threat to deep-space travel: the slow decay of the human body in zero gravity.<\/p>\n
By mimicking the mechanics of a high-tech carnival centrifuge, the proposed spacecraft would generate \u201cartificial gravity,\u201d providing the physical load necessary to protect astronauts\u2019 bodies during a long-term stay.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although there are currently no resources or timelines attached, the design stakes Russia\u2019s claim in a new space race.<\/p>\n
Patent for artificial gravity<\/p>\n
Space is a biological challenge for humans. Gravity is the glue that holds us together; without it, our muscles lose their purpose and bones lose strength.<\/p>\n
Currently, astronauts on the International Space Station need to exercise for hours every day to maintain the strength to walk when they return home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Artificial gravity<\/a> is a potential game-changer for deep-space exploration, offering a vital lifeline for crews facing the physical rigors of long-haul interplanetary travel or extended orbital stays.<\/p>\n Russia\u2019s design aims to provide a permanent solution by simulating 0.5g<\/a>, or half (50 percent) of Earth\u2019s gravity.<\/p>\n The patent<\/a> describes a massive, modular rotating structure that looks less like a traditional tube and more like a high-speed fan.<\/p>\n It illustrates a \u201cnotional space station\u201d built around a central spine that balances stationary and spinning parts, using airtight, flexible joints to link the habitats to the rotating hub.<\/p>\n Reportedly<\/a>, habitable modules are attached radially, extending outward like spokes on a wheel.<\/p>\n To achieve 0.5g, the station\u2019s living quarters would extend 131 feet (40 meters) from the center, spinning at five revolutions per minute to pin astronauts to the floor with centrifugal force.<\/p>\n Engineering hurdle remains <\/p>\n Building it won\u2019t be easy. The station is so large that it would require a fleet of rocket launches and complex assembly in orbit.<\/p>\n Safety is also a major concern. The patent notes a significant docking dilemma.\u00a0<\/p>\n Trying to park a transport ship at a station that is constantly spinning is like trying to jump onto a moving merry-go-round. One wrong move could lead to a catastrophic collision.<\/p>\n Russia isn\u2019t alone in this spinning dream. The American firm Vast is also racing to build commercial artificial gravity stations, and NASA has toyed with similar \u201cNautilus-X<\/a>\u201d concepts for decades.<\/p>\n While the company hasn\u2019t committed a single ruble or a set date to this specific project, the patent serves as a high-stakes signal of intent to build.<\/p>\n It surfaces just as ISS<\/a> enters its final act, with NASA preparing to steer the 450-ton lab into a fiery, controlled atmospheric reentry by 2030.<\/p>\n For Russia, which plans to depart the ISS by 2028, this design represents a move away from aging international cooperation and toward a solo, high-tech future in deep space.<\/p>\n Meanwhile,\u00a0Roscosmos is also working on its\u00a0Russian<\/a> Orbital Space Station <\/a>(ROSS). Reports<\/a> indicate that, instead of launching a new fleet, the space agency may detach and repurpose its aging ISS segments.<\/p>\n The country intends to detach its newest components \u2014 such as the Nauka multipurpose lab and the Prichal node \u2014 just before the ISS is deorbited in 2030.\u00a0<\/p>\n This move will prevent Russia from burning up its tech investment in the ISS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While the International Space Station (ISS) prepares for a watery grave in 2030, Russia is looking up \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":209439,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[109352,7644,61,3439,60,3589,109353,82,247,92],"class_list":{"0":"post-209438","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-artificial-gravity","9":"tag-biology","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-inventions-and-machines","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-russia","14":"tag-russia-patent","15":"tag-science","16":"tag-space","17":"tag-space-station"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}