cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/24946971
TL;DW:
Does It Make Sense To Put Data Centers In Space?
At some point in the future, yes.
Can They Really Cost Less To Operate?
In theory, yes.
Scott expresses concerns that current startups have not adequately addressed some of the practical challenges, such as cooling.
Cooling? Just open a door.
Getting rid of heat in space is actually a serious challenge. You can only radiate it away, since there is no gas to allow convection.
This always makes me wonder: When they say space is a frozen vacuum, it wouldn’t actually feel nearly as cold as it is, right? Because there’s no matter to actually take that heat away from you.
The big issue is the pressure, and you’d balloon up like a blob fish out of its depth. But would it feel cold for the few instants you’d have?
The first thing to happen is that any liquids (saliva, tears, blood) will start to boil in the very low pressure, but your body won’t explode like in some films. This boiling will pull heat from your body causing your nose and mouth to nearly freeze.
Another film trope is that you freeze over, but you’ll often overheat first since you can’t radiate your heat away quickly enough (depending on if you’re in sunlight or not).
wouldn’t do anything. you’re basically in a giant thermos, insulated by vacuum on all sides.
Too advanced for me. I was just thinking it would get cold but obviously too cold.
