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Musk's claim that cooling is easier in space draws pushback

Original: For several years I've tried and eventually gave up any attempt for intellectually honest discussion about Elon Musk's i

A long-running claim attributed to Elon Musk — that cooling is easier in space than on Earth — is being criticised as physically wrong. Commenters point out that space has no medium for convection, so spacecraft must dump heat via radiation alone, making thermal management one of the hardest problems in satellite and station design. Similar arguments have circulated since the 1960s and keep resurfacing.

Why now: Musk's assertion contradicts basic thermodynamics, prompting people to correct it repeatedly.

Elon Musk

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Evidence

• For several years I've tried and eventually gave up any attempt for intellectually honest discussion about Elon Musk's idea, "cooling is actually much easier in space than it is on earth," an idea I've somehow heard surface every few years since the 1960s, and makes no more… · muiren@sfba.social · 15

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