Well, honestly the Russian people are the ones best suited to living in freeze-your-balls-off-cold regions.
Nonetheless, this is cool news. Certainly the tech and knowledge used can be used for space stuff.
edited 25th Oct '11 7:12:18 PM by MarkVonLewis
Unchanging Avatar.
What a cool idea!
I'm not certain how successful it will be, but it's still a great idea.
Except for 4/1/2011. That day lingers in my memory like...metaphor here...I should go.
Wow, I'm impressed. A bit skeptical on the success of the endeavor, but impressed. What they learn there would definitely be useful on Mars and in making lunar ports. What with the whole enclosed thing.
I changed accounts.
~claps~
Yay Russia, not sitting on its ass when it comes to tech development.
Now if only they could convince the US Government to stop being a collective dipshit and get back into the Space Race while we still have the lead on China.
I am now known as Flyboy.
Well, with the economy in the tank I think it'll be difficult to convince anyone that's a good idea. Sadly, the basic necessities take precedence over the awesome stuff. *sigh* But yes, together the US and Russia could basically monopolize space travel. We're the countries with the most experience at it right now.
I changed accounts.
I would love to see that, but that's just not going to happen. Regardless of the popular opinion on Russia, the US Government has its head so far up the "COLD WAR NEVER ENDED, DUDE!" ass it's still eating neocon shit and probably will be for another decade... while Russia is making moon colonies. 
Keep in mind, though, that currently NASA and the RSA are working together. We're sending our astronauts over there to do their space missions. So we're not entirely out of the game and we're continuing to set a good record of working together in exactly this kind of thing. It's not a total loss right now.
I changed accounts.
It's a total loss in the long-run, as our innovation in that field disappears and we just become vaguely useless parasites piggy-backing on Russian initiative.
I mean, I'm all for cooperation with the Russian Federation here, but I expect NASA to be really pulling its weight, and they need funding for that. To the tune of $35 billion, last I heard, but...
I am now known as Flyboy.
|like a boss|
interesting.
I'm not sure how it'll pan out though, given the economy and such.
go ahead and do every stupid thing you can imagine
Somehow I doubt that anyone qualified to be an astronaut is going to be a parasite on any mission. *shrug* As it is, it's best to continue sending people up. Also, there's some rocket or other we're building. I had the link to it...
http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2011/september/311991/NASA-unveils-giant-new-rocket-design
Ah, there we go.
But I think we're getting off topic. Which is Russia's enclosed city. Which is an awesome idea.
Beware the Crazy Man.
People will drive these over there. Excellent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uynmApjhWI
I can't tell if that's sarcasm or not. But damn, that's crazy looking.
F-22 1986 Concept
You misunderstand, Ace. The individual astronauts are not the problem, it would be the whole country, unwilling to get ahead and instead just going along with the successes of other nations.
If not to be more than a historical footnote, we need to do it so our offspring are not totally saddled with negativity by our time here.
USAF713 on his phone or iPod.
But we're not just sitting back; that article was specifically addressing what NASA's intent is. And even bringing our current situation into it.
But this whole topic would probably be better for another thread. Hmmm...
F-22 1986 Concept
Well, to bring this back to topic, I think the US would do well to get in on this project, given its surprisingly small price tag and possible applications. Plus, diplomacy, yay.
USAF713 on his phone or iPod.
This project brings thoughts to me of a certain anime.
KIIING. KIIING. KINGU GAINAH
Beware the Crazy Man.
@Ace No joke, its a legit Russian arctic vehicle.
![[down]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_down.png "[down]"){kind=icon}
I was responding to the "crazy looking" part.
edited 26th Oct '11 8:15:41 AM by FFShinra
Final Fantasy, Foreign Policy, and Bollywood. Helluva combo, that...
Pronounced YAK-you-luss
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I think he was wondering about the 'excellent'.
This is awesome, as someone with Russian roots, I'm proud of the Motherland. ;)
I wish the US would try a project like this, fund it via exploiting gas and oil reserves once that panned out, shit, I just want to live in a big self-contained city.
Indiana Solo
Actually, Joe, the point is largely to get access to the supposed oil and mineral wealth at the site they're planning to put this on. The whole idea of building a self sustaining city is rather more of an engineering challenge, I think, though one we can certainly learn a great deal from. It'll be a company town, I think.
Pointless how?
Indiana Solo
Oh. My mistake, i though they were randomly bilding a city in the arctic that they'd have to supply. I really should have read the article.
I'm baaaaaaack
Proud Canadian
Yep, time to tell the Harper government to get their shit together.
And Rzhevsky affirms that towns like Umka would be perfectly viable on the Moon or anywhere else.
:D
edited 26th Oct '11 5:49:49 PM by Erock
If you don't like a single Frank Ocean song, you have no soul.
Yes, yes. I know. It's the Russian Times.
Named after Umka – a popular late Soviet-era bear cub cartoon hero – the proposed city is to be built on the remote island of Kotelny, in the Novosibirsk archipelago.
Situated a meager 1,000 miles off the North Pole, it has been called one of the least hospitable regions of the Earth, with summer temperatures rarely rising above freezing, while plunging in winter as low as -40 C.
The initial population is planned to be just 5,000, most of whom will be scientists and workers involved in the extraction and transport of vast oil and gas riches of the underwater Lomonosov Ridge.
“The city will not only be an extraction site and a transport hub, but a place for comfortable living. We want people not to realize they are in some closed space with an aggressive Arctic climate outside. So we aim to have scientific laboratories, houses, but also parks with attractions, an aqua complex, hotels, schools, kindergartens, recreation zones, a hospital, sport facilities, and a cathedral,” architect Valery Rzhevskiy says.
The initial population is planned to be just 5,000
Initially it will get electricity from a pair of floating nuclear power stations which will shut down as the hydrocarbon extraction comes onstream. Fish and poultry farms, greenhouses and bakeries will take care of the food supplies, while the garbage will be processed in two factories.
So far, this is the first project of such a scale with artificial climate and integral life support in the history of humankind. Its design is essentially based on the International Space Station (though much larger – 1.5x0.8 km), with a core transport axis that connects living quarters and laboratories.
And Rzhevsky affirms that towns like Umka would be perfectly viable on the Moon or anywhere else.
The project is on the brink of approval by the Russian government, and will be presented to other members of the Arctic Five – Denmark, Canada, Norway, and the United States – who may want to build similar cities themselves.
It sounds like an ambitious project and I will be interested in seeing how far it goes.
EDIT: The article has successfully preempted any Cold War jokes. NO PUNS FOR YOU.
edited 25th Oct '11 7:17:27 PM by Pentadragon