Submitted by Gari_305 t3_yqibpz in Futurology
Comments
FuturologyBot t1_ivoi3sb wrote
The following submission statement was provided by /u/Gari_305:
From the Article
>Uganda has gone to space. Despite a fire alarm causing delays on Nov. 6, the country’s first satellite, PearlAfricaSat-1, finally launched successfully into space on the morning of Nov. 7 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops space flight facility on Wallops Island, Virginia, US.
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>Uganda will be using its new satellite to get more accurate data on weather forecasting, mineral mapping, agri-monitoring, and border security. But on top of this list will be the conducting of healthtech life saving experiments. The Nile Post reports that Uganda will use the microgravity (weightlessness) provided by the satellite to perform advanced 3D biological printing of human tissue in space, including an “investigation into how microgravity influences ovary function.”
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>The satellite which has already landed on the International Space Station (ISS) will be monitored from the Mpoma ground satellite station in the capital Kampala.
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/yqibpz/uganda_will_now_be_printing_3d_human_tissue_in/ivodyhz/
PlasticCupboard007 t1_ivop85c wrote
now that's a word combination I've never thought I'd hear. r/brandnewsentence is not even original
yaddar t1_ivoqyud wrote
Your phone does 10 times more functions and are considerably smaller than a satellite
So... Are smartphones dubious?
Your concept of satellites must be stuck in the 90's
martin0641 t1_ivos2m2 wrote
Like one of those massive Swiss army knives, poorly.
march9191 t1_ivoxki3 wrote
All of that can be done by positioning over the country and continuously collecting geographical data.
lqkjsdfb t1_ivozgjn wrote
This satellite is going to LEO not geosynchronous. It will orbit about once every 90 min and will not remain in place.
march9191 t1_ivozrgz wrote
It doesn’t need to be continuous to function and GEO isn’t necessary for geological surveying in fact in most cases of satellite use LEO is better for data collection and transmission.
The_One_Who_Slays t1_ivp19ll wrote
For a second I thought this title was generated by AI.
JUYED-AWK-YACC t1_ivpcpmu wrote
It’s not. They launched a satellite. And they also have a 3D printing experiment on the ISS that the author calls a satellite. It’s not, it’s a suitcase.
ilikeredlights t1_ivpe0kv wrote
Your smart phone can 3d print anything and also investigate your ovaries in any gravity ?
moby__dick t1_ivpih7z wrote
This feels like they skipped steps 3-9 and just went straight to 10.
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Pat077 t1_ivpnt6n wrote
It can multi-task 😘😘😘
zacharydoaneofficial t1_ivpoj7b wrote
Could you imagine telling this to someone like 15 years ago
Ulpian02 t1_ivppmll wrote
Anything can be a satellite if you throw it hard enough
DrJamesWebbsPenis t1_ivpyop9 wrote
Hmmm Sounds like they gona be making some space DNA! knowhatimean???
Ok-Enthusiasm4804 t1_ivpzf0h wrote
Be careful..idk who funded this but I have a feeling the infidels have a hand in this ...considering we've just discovered oil...yall maybe excited but youre digging your own grave. Stand warned
macramillion t1_ivq3yan wrote
Do they know the way?
alt4614 t1_ivq5czv wrote
With the right modules, yes. We just don’t use small lab spaces and small versions of large devices that you’re accustomed to because we don’t have to or want to.
We’ve managed to micronize everything else, including powerful computers. And because you’re used to seeing such tiny computers in the palm of you’re hand, you don’t consider that we can do the same to other larger instruments. Which is OP’s point.
yaddar t1_ivq6mn9 wrote
3D printers are no bigger than tablets nowadays and sample testing can be no bigger than your average PC video card
Again, technology nowadays is tiny, in case you haven't been around for the past 20 years.
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ilikeredlights t1_ivqazuv wrote
You had a bullshit claim just like this satellite. that I called out . A Phone does not have 10x the functions of this satellite and all of these clsimrd functions are completely unrelated to each other . On one's side you have optical/spectrum analysis of the terrain on the other hand you have 3d printing of live cells (so Temps have to be tightly controlled)and to analyze the 3d printed organ and then you have a device to analyze live organs
WTF !
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yaddar t1_ivqdosq wrote
Reading comprehension, mate
I did NOT say the phone could jave the same functions as the satellite (10x)
It was unrelated you asked if the phone could do ovaries test or 3D printing to begin with (because I did not asset it could)
I said the phone has 10 times MORE functions as in it cam handle a lot.more process than the ones the satellite has.
And still, you still are not taking into account the since of modern technology
Why would a satellite have "unrelated" functions from each other?? - because if you are a government that can only afford ONE launch, you'd obviously cram as much projects you can that are requested by your scientific community
Not every country is a 1st world country, mate
Thats why even mars misisons cram a lot of "unrelated" instruments
alt4614 t1_ivqiid7 wrote
You’ve gotta use your tiny, aggressive brain to realize that sensationalized headlines like this aren’t 100% correct. They aren’t printing whole ovaries in space on a janky prototype launch.
They’re conducting experiments, in the same way millions of experiments are conducted on Earth regarding human tissue engineering.
What experiments? You’d have to look at the mission statement. It could be as simple as taking a patch of cells up there and seeing if they adhere/behave differently in space.
Nepomucky t1_ivqj4hu wrote
I still believe it was generated by AI.
Danobi2 t1_ivqml18 wrote
This is because the west is remarkably consistent in painting the worst image of Africa
KelbyGInsall t1_ivqrymg wrote
But will it get pay-per-view?
Ulpian02 t1_ivqs1qk wrote
Only with the right antenna stuck to it
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lumpenpr0le t1_ivra6h7 wrote
That's the most cyberpunk sentence ever written, even if it is misleading.
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alt4614 t1_ivrha2z wrote
But monkeys can print Shakespeare if given enough time
lqkjsdfb t1_ivrjlvt wrote
Ok that makes a lot more sense
shirk-work t1_ivrsh09 wrote
This is the guy who kills the vibe at a party.
brauti t1_ivrsj75 wrote
While I am excited for Uganda to join in space projects I can't help but feel there is major infrastructure that the 2.2 million USD could have gone towards. The capital Kampala recently had a cholera outbreak no more than 3 years ago and the country is receiving heavy international aid for water and sanitation projects. The World Bank alone provided 135 million to the Uganda Water Management and Development Project, along with other donors. Seven of the 47 million citizens still lack access to safe water and 28 million do not have access to improved sanitation facilities. While the 2.2mil is insignificant in the 12.7 billion dollar federal budget (48.1 trillion Ushs= 12.7 billion USD), and their economy is having a promising trend, I'm having trouble feeling like this is an expenditure they can afford
shirk-work t1_ivrsl92 wrote
Bro if it works then who gives a fuck. We already stick metal in our bones and shit.
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PoleonFlarus t1_ivrz1yu wrote
Education needs to incorporate more exposure to African countries, in general. Too many have misinformed ideas about the level of development of countries in Africa, and treat them as a monolith.
Hugh_Jaweener t1_ivs0aee wrote
Shouldn’t it be 3D printing? Pretty sure human tissue can only be 3D lol
stopcomplaininglol t1_ivs1akk wrote
I've seen alot of headlines, but this one def caught my gazeobadazyo
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Sualtam t1_ivs5ell wrote
I mean Uganda made headlines by banning homosexuality and mob violence against gays.
It's not like they support that image consistently.
PM_me_Jazz t1_ivs65rd wrote
I get where you are coming from, but it's a bit tasteless to paint Africa as 'needy', when the western world is basically the original cause of their problems
JettisonGamer t1_ivs6cin wrote
Investing in biotech leads to innovations which can be used and sold off. It’s a simple solution to complicated problems. Starvation on a national level has no easy fix of ‘just throw money at it’. And I am all for making sure the most needy get a healthy chance at life. But fiscally, I rather that large money come from selling creations and discoveries made by the home nation than by stripping other public help of their already meager coffers.
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tubz87 t1_ivs8a54 wrote
Yeah but that's not the point here, is it? It's that people are rightfully surprised that an African country (Uganda in particular) is involved with a space program when many, if not most of their people aren't have some of their basic needs met.
Government spending is a zero-sum game; every penny spent on one thing is a penny that isn't being spent somewhere else.
Leo55 t1_ivs90rn wrote
Okay yes but I think we’re taking about technological sophistication not social mores
Ab_Stark t1_ivs9fig wrote
Callisto protocol is coming out in a month too. Looks very promising
_Z_E_R_O t1_ivsaycf wrote
The two go hand in hand. You can’t have a well-adjusted, spacefaring society which also stones gay men to death on a regular basis.
These things are not compatible.
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RestlessAmbivert t1_ivsbj1d wrote
To be fair there are still massive issues when it comes to things like infrastructure on the continent, literal pirates on both the sea and land, as well as massive corruption.
This would be a bit unexpected feat from any developing nation in most cases to be fair, no?
That said, I've been following tech development in Africa for a bit and it's pretty awesome to see how things are going.
TopEmpty6065 t1_ivsbtuv wrote
Turing moment
taurustravels t1_ivsc5xh wrote
They sent it to people with real rockets
comradejiang t1_ivscli1 wrote
The US developed nuclear weapons in an era where black people could not marry white people. I agree that tech and society evolve together, just not always at the same rate.
throwaway091238744 t1_ivsdazk wrote
yeah everyone in africa lives in little huts and is starving and doesn't know what a phone is!!! /s
bradbobleymegnuts t1_ivsdc99 wrote
there’s a meat printer in my lab in my uni, i’ve seen it print human bone - they’re struggling to do multiple tissues at once, or organs - but it’s coming in maybe 20-30 years you’ll be able to print a leg and wack it on
shirk-work t1_ivsg210 wrote
That's fucking awesome. I'm a math algorithms guy myself but have causal interests in many things. Last I checked there were issues getting the structure and ensuring cell growth was consistent aka some muscle cells didn't start growing into something else. The fact that the body can orient itself in 3D, grow the right tissues in the right place at the right time, and stop is absolutely amazing. Most people seriously underestimate cellular intelligence and the computation going on at a low level. I want to believe the core mechanism is fractal in nature so it's super easy to condense the information required and perform error checking. Also that's there's a general fractal structure to reality would seriously be fitting. Maybe something like the Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything by Antony Lisi. Some regular repeating structure makes construction so much simpler. It's probably more complex like a hybridization of approaches given particular conditions. It's still dumbfounding that nature just figured it out. Gives one a sense that there's a mind at play at large time scales. Like we're comprised of cells and we ourselves are cells of a large entity. Once again this is a bit pie in the sky x-files I want to believe level stuff, but still.
Vast-Classroom1967 t1_ivsg370 wrote
Many people in America don't have their basic needs met. There are millions of people that get seriously sick, but don't have insurance to go see a doctor. Over 500,000 homeless and some of us don't care enough, so we make their lives a living hell by creating obstacles where we won't allow a human being to rest. Should we not go to space because sewage is running through some people's back yards in America? Should we not advance in any way because our food and water supply is contaminated? Isn't our infrastructure crumbling? We have bridges falling on people but we don't care enough to repair them. We have plastics in our bodies. If the people in Africa are solving their issues, but not in the order you want, too bad.
tubz87 t1_ivshcim wrote
The difference is that we have the money to deal with those things, but lack the political will.
Most of Africa flat-out doesn't have the money to be wasting on space programs.
LangersWantsBangers t1_ivshcxz wrote
Wonder what's happening with the lgbtq community in Russia?
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Vast-Classroom1967 t1_ivshq91 wrote
Some of us have it good, some don't. If everyone is not good, we aren't there yet.
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PineappleLemur t1_ivshuh5 wrote
cluck cluck cluck cluck...
Vast-Classroom1967 t1_ivshydu wrote
A shit hole that's building body parts. Are we building body parts? Nah, we undertreating patients here.
Vast-Classroom1967 t1_ivsi4g8 wrote
If you have the same results, the why does not matter to the people suffering.
fiddler013 t1_ivslmh8 wrote
That just makes US look worse in comparison. Not better.
Amazing-Ad-669 t1_ivsln22 wrote
I didn't realize Uganda had a need for 3D printed human tissue. In space, no less.
Unless their plan is just to print astronauts in space. Which is pretty clever. No need for shuttles and crap. Cut out the middleman. Hitch a ride on the international space station. Cool deal.
SmokierTrout t1_ivsm8ip wrote
You said it yourself. This 2.2 million is a tiny part of the Ugandan budget. And that the Ugandan economy is growing quickly. I think they can afford to spend a small amount on science and technology. Especially as it will help to drive education and economic growth, which leads to more tax receipts, which in turn can lead to more spending on key infrastructure (like sanitation).
Developed countries have their own problems with health, education and poverty. It'd be hypocritical not to suggest that they could ill afford to spend money on science and technology too.
One in six people in the US received food assistance from the charitable food sector in 2021. Maybe the USA can't afford to spend $25 billion on NASA?
Wombat_Racer t1_ivsqz59 wrote
Maybe not with a dot-matrix printer, but as this is in space, we just need to add the word Laser & now everything makes future speak sense!
For example, Gun = Laser Gun, Radar = Lidar & Printer = Laser Printer.
Sci-Fi is now!
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TSLOZAK t1_ivsspom wrote
The US makes headlines outside by banning abortion rights and storming the Capitol to overturn election.
Turns out, the news likes to bring in the worst happenings around the world and shouldn't be your only source of how the world is.
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Leo55 t1_ivt6vx1 wrote
That’s bs.
The US is a prime example of a morally bankrupt society in many ways; lgbtq rights, women’s rights, worker’s rights, housing, medical care, racist policing, death penalty etc. and yet we still think of ourselves as the most advanced society on earth.
Danobi2 t1_ivts4mw wrote
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Who reported those headlines but won’t report on any of their social or technological successes?
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As stated by another commenter, are you not aware of what the US was doing to black people, and women during its major technological advancements? Cmon
Danobi2 t1_ivtsloz wrote
The US is literally being ran into a climate crisis by corporations and your elections are again paid for? Corruption is not an African issue, it’s just reported as such.
I will say however infrastructure is an issue in many countries outside of major cities and they still function. Even countries like Portugal and Italy have major flaws outside of their major cities but again, it’s how the media tells it.
Danobi2 t1_ivtstr7 wrote
Exactly what I’m saying, but people have eaten the bulletin board and are spewing every media narrative
Danobi2 t1_ivtt711 wrote
Lmao this does nothing but prove my point. You are not African or based in Africa to know this? You probably still believe Kony was active in 2012. Talk to some Ugandans man
Danobi2 t1_ivttg43 wrote
Lmao Wakaliwood is hilarious, but should not be taken literally
cobaltred05 t1_ivtvsgd wrote
Oh. Both countries absolutely have their own problems. There’s no mistaking that. The problems are just different and each country’s inhabitants are more used to their own problems, so other country’s problems appear much worse.
Im just happy to be able to hear about major progress like this either way. Whether it’s a big jump or a bunch of smaller ones, it makes me happy to hear it. Like you said, the media certainly does hide and/or shows the wrong things more than it should. I wish that would stop.
RestlessAmbivert t1_ivu3f0u wrote
There are other posters who went into much, much more detailed discussion of the multitudinous problems there on the continent. There's really no point in debating reality. It's not just stereotypes that make this kind of action surprising. There are large scale barriers to consistent, sustained technological progress in Africa, that's a simple truth.
Semantics and nitpicking won't change that this kind of development is going to be a surprising one to most unless they were specifically following this program. The US is corrupt af, but would you be shocked in the least to hear it had a similar launch on the horizon? Were you surprised when you heard the UAE was testing weather-controlling drones?
It's an unexpected thing with a country with a relatively low GDP on a continent of countries with relatively low GDPs and other financial indicators pops up with a program like this.
Danobi2 t1_ivufq2u wrote
I get what you’re saying. But you’re missing my point, the discourse around Africa is almost completely controlled by the west. It’s the underreporting on the scientific advancements, how west Africans dominate in studies in any environment, vast improvements in Rwandan infrastructure the massive strides to create an Eastern African superpower backed by actual gold.
We don’t even need to look as far as the disparity between the wests reporting on itself. Even Asia and South America which have a plethora of similar and unique but scalable problems that aren’t as reported as Africa’s.
The continent is moving forward in spite of the rest of the world and notably the west (F*** France especially) efforts to disparage its advancements and report on it as a cesspit of its own doing.
The biggest detriment to Africas development is interference. To be left alone in all regards it would not be the continent it is today. RIP Nkrumah, Sankara, Lumumba, Olumpyio, etc etc I could go all day.
Danobi2 t1_ivug38y wrote
I agree with you, my responses are coming out defensive atm, but this great news and I wish there was more like it being reported on.
cobaltred05 t1_ivuib7v wrote
No worries. What really matters is that the discussion happens and we come to a reasonable agreement or answer to what is being discussed. You have a good day and I hope things start looking up for you.
Avadthedemigod t1_ivxe21c wrote
I do got to point out that abortion rights were not banned nationwide, just no longer protected. I got no excuse for Jan. 6 though.
Thanos_Stomps t1_iw24kdp wrote
Lmao have you seen the Ugandan parliament in action? There are regular brawls.
African nations aren’t painted well but Uganda is a right mess at times and this is a very surprising sentence.
HarambeamsOfSteel t1_iw7nwn4 wrote
Their plan is likely biotech investment for the coming years. The industry is at the cusp of many, many things and is going to boom. Ugandan officials probably took note, and are expecting returns, because one of the issues with this that I’ve found is gravity. I’ll actually be doing this next semester in uni, so I’m excited to get into it.
HonestCup20 t1_iwec5bz wrote
ahh ok, that makes more sense.
HonestCup20 t1_iwec8jz wrote
lol, nah they all got phones.. even the poorest people in the world have phones now, unless they're a tribe of some sort.
HonestCup20 t1_iwed9y9 wrote
Kony? wtf is that?
throwaway091238744 t1_iwegnyp wrote
yeah that's what the /s is for
HonestCup20 t1_iwf3hdw wrote
what do you mean? /s ?
Gari_305 OP t1_ivodyhz wrote
From the Article
>Uganda has gone to space. Despite a fire alarm causing delays on Nov. 6, the country’s first satellite, PearlAfricaSat-1, finally launched successfully into space on the morning of Nov. 7 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops space flight facility on Wallops Island, Virginia, US.
>
>Uganda will be using its new satellite to get more accurate data on weather forecasting, mineral mapping, agri-monitoring, and border security. But on top of this list will be the conducting of healthtech life saving experiments. The Nile Post reports that Uganda will use the microgravity (weightlessness) provided by the satellite to perform advanced 3D biological printing of human tissue in space, including an “investigation into how microgravity influences ovary function.”
>
>The satellite which has already landed on the International Space Station (ISS) will be monitored from the Mpoma ground satellite station in the capital Kampala.