Engineering Wonders
Engineering Wonders
1. CERN’s Large Hadron Collider
The Hadron Collidor is located in Switzerland, near Geneva; it spans the border between Switzerland and France at about 100m under the ground. Scientists use a particle accelerator to study the smallest particles known to man.
2. The Hubble Telescope
The Hubble was taken into orbit in 1990. The Hubble was crucial for astronomy, it is also the only telescope created in such a way that astronauts can service it in space. Many Hubble observations have helped lead to breakthroughs in astrophysics, including the understanding of how the universe expands.
3. Three Gorges Dam
The Three Gorges Dam takes shape of the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world. It supplies about 4% of the energy that is needed by China, reaching 22 500 megawatts and its still not fully operational.
4. Burj-Al-Arab Hotel
The largest building used as a hotel in the world is the Burj Al Arab, which rises at 321 metres and is connected to the mainland by a private curved bridge. The building imitates a type of vessel called dhow, which features a 180 metre high atrium between the two sides. It is also built on an artificial island.
5. Akashi Kaikyo Suspension Bridge
This is the longest suspension bridge in the world. It took over 2 million workers and 181 000 tonnes of steel and 1.4 cubic metres of concrete. The steel cable that they used could go around the world 7 times.
6. Space Telescope Chandra
Chandra was capable of sending the most precise images of outer space. The X-ray images it features redefined many of our notions about cosmos.
7. Bird’s nest
The Birds Nest sits in the very core of Beijing. It was built at a tenth of what it would have cost in Europe or America. It is the world’s largest steel constructions.