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Sun Gun
The sun gun or heliobeam ( German: ''Sonnengewehr'') is a theoretical orbital weapon, which makes use of a concave mirror mounted on a satellite, to concentrate sunlight onto a small area at the Earth's surface, destroying targets or killing through heat. History In 1929, the German physicist Hermann Oberth developed plans for a space station from which a 100-metre-wide concave mirror could be used to reflect sunlight onto a concentrated point on the earth. Later, during World War II, a group of German scientists at the German Army Artillery proving grounds at Hillersleben began to expand on Oberth's idea of creating a superweapon that could utilize the sun's energy. This so-called "sun gun" (''Sonnengewehr'') would be part of a space station above Earth. The scientists calculated that a huge reflector, made of metallic sodium and with an area of , could produce enough focused heat to make an ocean boil or burn a city. After being questioned by American officers, the Germans cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orbital Weapon
Space weapons are weapons used in space warfare. They include weapons that can attack space systems in orbit (for example, anti-satellite weapons), attack targets on the earth from space or disable missiles travelling through space. In the course of the militarisation of space, such weapons were developed mainly by the contesting superpowers during the Cold War, and some remain under development today. Space weapons are also a central theme in military science fiction and sci-fi video games. Space-to-space weapons The Soviet Almaz secret military space station program was equipped with a fixed 23mm autocannon to prevent hostile interception or boarding by hostile forces. This was the first and so far the only space-to-space weapon to be fired in orbit. The Soviet uncrewed Polyus weapons platform was designed to be equipped with a megawatt carbon-dioxide laser and a self-defense cannon. Earth-to-space weapons Anti-satellite weapons, which are primarily surface-to-space ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
20 Fenchurch Street
20 Fenchurch Street is a commercial skyscraper in London that takes its name from its address on Fenchurch Street, in the historic City of London financial district. It has been nicknamed "The Walkie-Talkie" because of its distinctive shape, said to resemble a walkie-talkie handset. Construction was completed in spring 2014, and the three-floor "sky garden" was opened in January 2015. The 38-storey building is tall. Since July 2017, the building has been owned by Lee Kum Kee Groups. Designed by architect Rafael Viñoly and costing over £200 million, 20 Fenchurch Street features a highly distinctive top-heavy form which appears to burst upward and outward. The entrance floor and 34 floors of office space are topped by a large viewing deck. A bar and restaurants are included on the 35th, 36th and 37th floors; these are, with restrictions, open to the public. The tower was originally proposed at nearly tall but its design was scaled down after concerns about its visu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Solar Energy
Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is an essential source of renewable energy, and its technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on how they capture and distribute solar energy or convert it into solar power. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic systems, concentrated solar power, and solar water heating to harness the energy. Passive solar techniques include designing a building for better daylighting (architecture), daylighting, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light-dispersing properties, and organizing spaces that ventilation (architecture), naturally circulate air. In 2011, the International Energy Agency said that "the development of affordable, inexhaustible and clean solar energy technolo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Research And Development In Nazi Germany
Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to controlling sources of bias and error. These activities are characterized by accounting and controlling for biases. A research project may be an expansion of past work in the field. To test the validity of instruments, procedures, or experiments, research may replicate elements of prior projects or the project as a whole. The primary purposes of basic research (as opposed to applied research) are documentation, discovery, interpretation, and the research and development (R&D) of methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge. Approaches to research depend on epistemologies, which vary considerably both within and between humanities and sciences. There are several forms of research: scientific, humanities, artistic, economic, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proposed Weapons
Proposal(s) or The Proposal may refer to: * Proposal (business) * Research proposal * Marriage proposal * Proposition, a proposal in logic and philosophy Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Proposal'' (album), an album by Ransom & Statik Selektah Films * ''The Proposal'' (1957 film), an Australian television play based on Chekhov's 1890 play * ''The Proposal'' (2001 film), starring Nick Moran, Jennifer Esposito, and Stephen Lang * ''The Proposal'' (2009 film), starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds * ''The Proposal'' (2022 film), starring Joe Joseph and Amara Raja * " La propuesta" ("The Proposal"), a short story in the 2014 Argentina anthology film ''Wild Tales'' Literature * '' Proposals (play)'', a 1997 play by Neil Simon * ''The Proposal'' (novel), 1999 and 35th book in the ''Animorphs'' series by K.A. Applegate * ''The Proposal'', alternative title of Chekhov's 1890 play ''A Marriage Proposal'' Television * ''The Proposal'' (American TV series), a 2018 realit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Znamya (satellite)
The Znamya project (Russian: Знамя, meaning "Banner", ) was a series of orbital space mirror experiments in the 1990s that intended to beam solar power to Earth by reflecting sunlight. The project was the brain child of Vladimir Syromyatnikov, who served as the project's lead engineer. Originally devised as a solar sail, Syromyatnikov pivoted to using the proposed hardware as a space mirror. The project consisted of two experiments: the Znamya 2 experiment and the failed Znamya 2.5, plus the proposed Znamya 3. After the failed deployment of the Znamya 2.5 the project was abandoned by the Russian Federal Space Agency. Znamya 2 The Znamya 2 was a 20-metre wide space solar mirror. Znamya-2 was launched aboard Progress M-15 from Baikonur on 27 October 1992. After visiting the EO-12 crew aboard the Mir space station the Progress T-15 then undocked and deployed the reflector from the end of the Russian Progress spacecraft on 4 February 1993, next to the Russian Mir space stati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Space Mirror (climate Engineering)
Solar mirrors in space can be used to change the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth. The concept was first theorised in 1923 by physicist Hermann Oberth and later developed in the 1980s by other scientists. Space mirrors can be used to increase or decrease the amount of solar energy that reaches a specific point of the earth for various purposes. There have been several proposed implementations of the space mirror concept but none have been implemented thus far other than the Znamya experiment by Russia, due to logistical concerns and challenges of deployment. Znamya successfully tested reflecting more sunlight to Earth. They were theorised as a method of climate engineering through shading the Earth by creating a space sunshade to deflect sunlight and counter global warming. History The concept of constructing space mirrors as a method of climate engineering dates to the years 1923, 1929, 1957 and 1978 by the physicist Hermann Oberth and the 1980s by other scientist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Space-based Solar Power
Space-based solar power (SBSP or SSP) is the concept of collecting solar power in outer space with solar power satellites (SPS) and distributing it to Earth. Its advantages include a higher collection of energy due to the lack of reflection and absorption by the atmosphere, the possibility of very little night, and a better ability to orient to face the Sun. Space-based solar power systems convert sunlight to some other form of energy (such as microwaves) which can be transmitted through the atmosphere to receivers on the Earth's surface. Solar panels on spacecraft have been in use since 1958, when Vanguard I used them to power one of its radio transmitters; however, the term (and acronyms) above are generally used in the context of large-scale transmission of energy for use on Earth. Various SBSP proposals have been researched since the early 1970s, but none is economically viable with the space launch costs. Some technologists propose lowering launch costs with space m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Solar Furnace
A solar furnace is a structure that uses concentrated solar power to produce high temperatures, usually for industry. Parabolic mirrors or heliostats concentrate light ( Insolation) onto a focal point. The temperature at the focal point may reach , and this heat can be used to generate electricity, melt steel, make hydrogen fuel or nanomaterials. The largest solar furnace is at Odeillo in the Pyrénées-Orientales in France, opened in 1970. It employs an array of plane mirrors to gather sunlight, reflecting it onto a larger curved mirror. History The ancient Greek / Latin term ''heliocaminus'' means "solar furnace" and refers to a glass-enclosed sunroom intentionally designed to become hotter than the outside air temperature. Legendary accounts of the Siege of Syracuse (213–212 BC) tell of Archimedes' heat ray, a set of burnished brass mirrors or burning glasses supposedly used to ignite attacking ships, though modern historians doubt its veracity. On 24 Se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Concentrated Solar Power
Concentrated solar power (CSP, also known as concentrating solar power, concentrated solar thermal) systems generate solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight into a receiver. Electricity is generated when the concentrated light is converted to heat (solar thermal energy), which drives a heat engine (usually a steam turbine) connected to an electrical power generator or powers a thermochemical reaction. As of 2021, global installed capacity of concentrated solar power stood at 6.8 GW. As of 2023, the total was 8.1 GW, with the inclusion of three new CSP projects in construction in China and in Dubai in the UAE. The U.S.-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which maintains a global database of CSP plants, counts 6.6 GW of operational capacity and another 1.5 GW under construction. Comparison between CSP and other electricity sources As a thermal energy generating power station, CSP has more in common with thermal power s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a tidal estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years. Its ancient core and financial centre, the City of London, was founded by the Roman Empire, Romans as Londinium and has retained its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has been the centuries-long host of Government of the United Kingdom, the national government and Parliament of the United Kingdom, parliament. London grew rapidly 19th-century London, in the 19th century, becoming the world's List of largest cities throughout history, largest city at the time. Since the 19th cen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Archimedes' Heat Ray
Archimedes is purported to have invented a large scale solar furnace, sometimes described as a heat ray, and used it to burn attacking Roman ships during the Siege of Syracuse (). It does not appear in the surviving works of Archimedes and there is no contemporary evidence for it, leading to modern scholars doubting its existence. It was an established story about Archimedes by around 500 AD, when Anthemius described a reconstruction, and it has become the subject of speculation about its plausibility. Historical accounts of the heat ray The 2nd century AD author Lucian wrote that during the Siege of Syracuse, Archimedes destroyed enemy ships with fire. Around 500 AD, Anthemius of Tralles mentions burning-glasses as Archimedes' weapon. The device was used to focus sunlight onto approaching ships, causing them to catch fire. Modern attempts to recreate the heat ray The heat ray has been the subject of ongoing debate about its credibility since the Renaissance. René Descartes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
