Space Debris Solution

Saige Sunier  

April 25, 2013

Earth Science Core, Block C Even

Ms. Davies

UK designs to ‘harpoon’ old satellites

Citation:

Amos, Jonathon. "UK Design to 'harpoon' old satellites." BBC News. BBC, 10 Feb. 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19803461>.

            Over the past 50 years space has been building up with debris. This junk is a resultant of whole dead satellites, upper-stages of rockets, fuel tank explosions, and unseen particles. Today there is an estimated 22,000 objects that are stuck in space along with 500,000 particles between 1-10cm across. Further more, there are tens of millions of particles that are smaller than 1 cm. There objects are all moving at a great enough velocity that hitting any spacecraft can cause large amounts of damage. The severity of this situation really began to surface in 2007 when China deliberately destroyed a weather satellite, resulting in fragments everywhere. The issue was once more brought to light in 2009 when the Cosmos 2251 satellite accidently hit the Iridium 33 satellite. When this happened it became clear that space was becoming unsafe and that so many objects can and will lead to massive damage if actions are not taken. Dr. Jaime Reed from Astrium UK is the head designer on a new technology that would greatly improve the conditions in space. He has created and built a harpoon that would be sent into space and would hook onto a rouge satellite and either pull on a trailing polymer cord or deploy a separate thruster unit that would drag the debris towards the Earth where it would burn up in the atmosphere. The hook to catch the satellite or rocket stage would be about 30cm long and would be mounted on a “chaser satellite.” The satellite would get 100m of the junk and send an image to a lab where the target could be assessed before the harpoon hooks on and sends the object to burn. The problem with this instrument is the possibility of doing more damage. A large amount of debris is a result of explosions of fuel tanks from rocket stages. There is a risk that the harpoon would hit the fuel tank and make the situation worse. To try and minimize this occurrence, Dr. Reed put in a crushable cylinder that makes it so when the harpoon hits the object it will immediately slow down so it won’t pass through the spacecraft and hit a tank. The United Kingdoms is not the only country trying to think of possible solutions. In France and Germany, ideas of nets and robotic grappling devices have been brought into question. There are many great solutions, yet in order to put one of these to work there needs to be an international agreement. This is because the satellites and objects in space affect everyone’s lives. If countries were to send up unknown objects into space with lasers attached a fear of weaponry could arise. In order to make amendments in space the space community needs to agree on the right course of action. There is currently a small window of space before satellites start crashing uncontrollably. In the next couple of years it is hoped that the UN will push for a solution and the space debris will begin to be destroyed.

            This topic is important to everyone everywhere. Although very few people have been to space, it affects the lives of average people more than is realized. Satellites supply: general facts about the Earth, the weather report, GPS, cable, telephones, etc. In the modern era, most technology is a result of our ability to send information from place to place by use of satellites. The space debris risks the safety of the machines that provide for our average lives. If nothing is done about the space debris more and more objects will collide creating more and more debris that will hit satellites and destroy them. It will also become more difficult to send new satellites up. With millions and millions of particles and objects a spacecraft trying to enter orbit will shortly be disrupted by the excessive material and will fail to function. In the modern age we are constantly moving foreword, but the loss of satellites will send us backwards. Space is the next frontier and without taking action the ability to enter space will be completely lost and so will the chances to get to learn more about what is beyond our solar system. This problem is not very well known and I chose to research it because I had heard some things about it but not enough to really understand. Through this article I have been able to realize the severity of the situation and can accept that something needs to be done quickly. International agreements can take a very long time; hopefully, actions will be taken before it is too late. 

            The article, overall, was very good. It taught me a lot about the topic of space debris and its negative effects on Earth. The article was well written but is generated more to a knowledgeable crowd than to the general public. When explaining how the harpoon worked the author used some words that are not very common and he did not explain what they meant. The article is also a little choppy. It flows from time to time but could have been more effective in teaching about the topic if rearranged in a different way. However, a lot of quality points were made on the severity of the situation and Amos gives many examples and evidence to backup his points. He does a nice job talking about the one technology but making sure to include the situations around the topic to give good context in the matter of space debris. He could have included more about why no international agreement has been made. Amos mentions that time is running short but he fails to mention any reasons that the UN might have for not taking action right away. Despite small improvements, I thought that it was a very interesting article that taught me a lot of facts that I did not previously know and made me much more aware of the condition in space and the actions that need to be taken to solve our problem.

Greenland's Glaciers Loom Larger as Source of Sea Level Rise

Fallon Raviol April 25, 2013

Core Earth Science C Block Ms. Davies 

Citation: Marshall, Christa. "Greenland's Glaciers Loom Larger as Source of Sea Level Rise: Scientific American." Greenland's Glaciers Loom Larger as Source of Sea Level Rise: Scientific American. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=greenlands-glaciers-loom-larger-as-source-of-sea-level-rise>.

The article, Greenland's Glaciers Loom Larger as Source of Sea Level Rise, talks about how fast Greenland’s glaciers and ice caps are melting. The glaciers and ice caps are contributing a significant amount of water to the oceans, and they also have made up twenty percent of Greenland’s mass loss. Last year, a Greenland glacier inventory was concluded and scientists have gathered information that Greenland’s land has elevated down fifty centimeters this past year, with the help of a NASA satellite showing precise measurements. With these facts, scientists have calculated that between 2003 and 2008, Greenland glaciers and ice caps have contributed about fifty gigatons of water annually to global sea levels. One gigaton is equal to one billion tons, so the glaciers have added 50 billion tons of water to oceans around the world. Scientists have been able to come up with these results by measuring how fast Greenland’s glaciers are melting compared to its ice sheet. Tobias Bolch, a glacier expert who works at the University of Zurich stated, “The glaciers are reacting faster to climate change than the ice sheet,” (Marshall, Christa. "Greenland's Glaciers Loom Larger as Source of Sea Level Rise: Scientific American." Greenland's Glaciers Loom Larger as Source of Sea Level Rise: Scientific American. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.) Scientists are worried about Greenland's glaciers and ice cap because they are melting at a much quicker pace than Greenland itself. Scientist are unsure why this is happening, but there are many hypothesis about it. One hypothesis is that the glaciers are at usually lower elevations, where it would be warmer, and would be melting faster. 

According to some research done about Greenland, the southeastern part is melting faster than the northern part. Scientists think this is surprising because the southern part is a lot snowier than the northern part. Anders Carlson a professor at Oregon State University, said that the reason the southeastern part of Greenland was melting faster was because many of the region’s glaciers end it the ocean, so many glaciers might split from its ice sheet and melt when it comes in contact with the oceanic water. 

I found this article very interesting to me. This article got me thinking about what would happen in the future. If Greenland keeps melting at the rate it does, what will happen when it become fully underwater? Not only would this affect the Greenland, but this phenomenon would affect oceans and other islands and continents. By the time Greenland melts away, its glaciers and ice caps will be melted as well, making the levels of the sea much higher than they are today. In the future, with water levels so high, parts of continents might sink under water, or even  whole continents. Humans will need another planet to live on in the future because the ocean levels might keep rising and in the end, every continent would sink under water. This could provoke the idea to humans that Earth will not be a habitable planet forever, and that in the years to come, the human population will need another planet to live on. I also thought this article was interesting because it said that over the course of five years, 50 billion tons of water was added to the ocean by Greenland’s glaciers and icecap melting. Also, with glaciers melting very fast globally, this could instigate a new study about how to keep these glaciers from melting so rapidly. this study could lead to new investigations as well as new technology. 

This article taught me a lot about what is happening around Greenland today, but I wished this article talked more about what would happen to Greenland in the future. I think it would have been interesting to read about what scientists think might happen to Greenland, the oceans, and other continents. Also, I think it would have been fascinating to read about what scientists might plan in the future, or what they could do to prevent whatever dangers the melting glaciers bring towards humans and other organisms. Although the article did a fantastic job explaining about the melting of the glaciers in Greenland, and about Greenland itself, it could have done a better job about explaining what the measurements mean, and answering questions such as will Greenland ever be underwater? 

Cameron Leska-Kent

Cameron Leska-Kent                                                                                                             4/15/13

Core Earth Science C Block                                                                            Current Event Report

Cooper-White, Macrina. "Solar Flare, 2013's Most Powerful So Far, Sparks Radio Blackout, NASA Says (PHOTO)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 Apr. 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.

            The largest and most powerful solar flare of the year erupted form the sun just under a week ago on Thursday, April 11. This solar flare registered as a mid-level flare on the scale of solar tempests. A solar flare is defined as being a brief eruption of high-energy radiation from the sun’s surface. It coincided with a coronal mass ejection (CME), or a massive burst of solar wind and magnetic fields being released into space.

            NASA has released a statement confirming that this is the largest solar flare so far in 2013, and that increasing frequency of flares is expected, as the sun is reaching the end of its 11 year cycle, which is expected to end in late 2013 with the solar maximum. A NASA spacecraft captured incredible footage of the solar flare, showing the wondrous event in great detail.

            This solar flare is classified as an M-class flare. M-class flares are 10 times weaker than the strongest flares, known as X-class flares. M-class flares are still strong enough to cause disturbances on Earth such as communications problems and extraordinary northern lights displays. This solar flare was no exception, as it caused a short-lived radio communications blackout on Earth.

            I think this article is important because it discusses solar flares and the higher frequency of them leading up to the solar maximum. The article discusses the possible effects of solar flares, and this is important because it warns people of possibilities such as interference with GPS services, communications, and power systems. Knowing of these threats allows us to be better prepared for them and pushes us to continue improving our ability to predict and deal with solar flares. Also, it is interesting to understand more about the processes of the sun as well as the effects that it can have on Earth. The footage taken of the flare by NASA’s spacecraft was also awe-inspiring and fascinating.

            While this article was informative about the recent solar flare, there were several ways that it could be improved. First of all, there was almost no description of why and how solar flares happen. This would have provided a deeper understanding of solar flares. Also, the author does not discuss technology used to detect solar flares and keep track of their frequency. This would have helped the reader understand the way observation of flares works and see how our ability to prepare for and predict solar flares may evolve in the near future.

Storm Surges, Rising Seas Could Doom Pacific Islands This Century

Michael Natsch
4/12/13
Earth Science Core
C-Even Davies

Pyper, Julia. "Storm Surges, Rising Seas Could Doom Pacific Islands This Century."
Scientific American. N.p., 12 Apr. 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=storm-surges-rising-seas-could-doom-pacific-islands-this-century>

      The mythical underwater city of Atlantis may become not so mythical in the very near future. There won’t be a sprawling city full of life at the bottom of the ocean, but instead, desolate remains of small islands in the Pacific. Some low-lying islands in the Pacific Ocean are in danger of becoming uninhabitable within the century due to the rising sea levels. To be more precise, scientists have predicted that in 50 to 150 years some low-lying islands will be underwater, but much earlier be uninhabitable. These islands include the Hawaiian atolls (a string of closely placed small coral islands, usually encircling a small lagoon of sorts) of Midway and Laysan and islands like them. The issue of overwash (when ocean water comes to shore, damages property and natural resources but doesn’t permanently submerge the island) is what will make the islands become unfit to support life well before they are submerged. When overwash occurs on islands that are less than a thousand feet long (like the Midway and Laysan), the fresh water for the island is salinated (salt added to) and therefore unfit to drink, and the agriculture is killed because of salt loading. Without a reliable source of food and fresh water, it will not be possible to live on these small islands, not to mention dealing with waves crashing into your house once or twice a year also from the overwash. This process of overwash and then complete submersion occurs because of global warming. As the atmosphere is heated, ice caps on the two poles slowly melt, raising the sea level of oceans around the world gradually over time. Since these particular islands are already low-lying, they have become in danger of submerging below sea level. It has been determined by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that when the atmosphere is raised by two degrees Celsius, the sea level will rise somewhere between 3 and 6 feet by 2100. The USGS have created dynamic models that predict that 91% of Midway Island will be inundated and that waves on the island during normal high-end winter storms will be three or four times as high. A saving grace of these small islands could be the coral that grows in the water around them. Coral reefs, which can grow at rates as fast as one centimeter per year, can protect the islands and make sturdy physical foundations for them to stay above sea level. However, the USGS has noted that the vertical growth rate of coral is much smaller than the rate at which the sea-level is rising, so coral will not be saving these islands from submersion. Another more radical way of saving the islands could be to do what was done in the capital of the Maldives, which was to build a large sea wall and huge desalination facilities. However, this solution would cost a large amount of money and it may be more worth it to just evacuate the islands.
The information presented in the article is extremely important in showing how much global warming is affecting the world. Many people either do not believe in global warming or ignore it, but seeing as entire islands could disappear because of it within the next century displays just how much it is hurting our world. If it takes whole land masses disappearing to convince people of the urgency of global warming, then that is what must happen. So, a positive spin that one could put on this is that the submersion of these islands could help to bring more attention to the topic, and in turn get people more passionate about trying to stop and prevent it from happening. Apart from the physical disappearances of the islands, the effect it will have on its inhabitants is even more devastating. If these overwashes become too severe, entire populations of people will need to consider the possibility of relocation. Julia Pyper, the author of the article, says that relocation, “would mean not only giving up their land, but also a major part of their lifestyle and identity” (p. 2), because they are being forced to assimilate into new cultures.
Although the article was a very well-written work that displayed its purpose clearly and concisely, there were some things that could have been improved. First of all, the author could have explained how the USGS came to their conclusions and how they conducted their experiments in a more detailed way. In the article, it is only mentioned that they used, “dynamic modeling that takes into account storm winds and wave activity coupled with sea-level rise of between 0.5 and 2 meters,” but this does not give a clear picture of how the experiments are conducted and how they came to their conclusions. A second criticism of the article is that it was very short and did not go into detail overall. It was not very long, being under 1,000 words, and points like the occurrences of overwash, the option of relocation, and the helpfulness of coral could have been greatly elaborated on. Thirdly, it would have been interesting to hear about any precautions that are being made to protect people living on these islands from overwash and from the impending doom of submersion. However, overall, the article was an interesting and eye-opening read shedding light on the true effects of global warming the the rising sea levels. 

William Stoeffhaas                                                                                                 4/11/13

E-Sci                                                                                                   Current Events

What Beijing's battle with air pollution tells us about China

"What Beijing's Battle with Air Pollution Tells Us about China." Weblog post. The Economic Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.

What Beijing's battle with air pollution tells us about China

Chinese millionaire and philanthropist Chen Guangbiao has put his million-dollar idea in a can. It is pure, unadulterated — hold your breath — fresh air. Chen could make another million on the green and orange cans of freshness, but he gave them away on a busy Beijing sidewalk. He calls the can "Chen Guangbiao: Nice Guy".

Avoiding the raillery expected at a stunt like this, Beijingers picked up the cans faster than Chen could supply, demonstrating the people's desperation for a whiff of smog-free air. In January, China recorded some of the highest pollution figures since the monitoring of air quality began a few years ago. The online buzz on Chinese social media was about a dreadful number — the reading on pollution-monitoring devices.

The US embassy in Beijing was the first to install a device in 2008. For most people, it is the gold standard when it comes to monitoring Beijing's air. Figures above 150 are considered "unhealthy" and anything above 300 is "hazardous" and comes with the warning, "health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects". The number on January 12 was 755.

Air Your Grievance

Visibility fell to less than 50 feet and the city was covered in a thick, pungent layer of smog, driving Beijingers to shop for surgical mask-like air filters and household air-purifying systems, costing anywhere between $1,000 and $10,000. People flocked to hospitals with young children and the elderly complaining of breathing difficulties and physical uneasiness. In a country where a one-child policy is in place and where most parents spare no expense in raising that child, there was despondency.

"We are the ones who suffer," said a tobacconist, Zhang, in his shop near Beijing's west railway station. "The rich send their children to schools abroad; ours have to wade through this muck everyday." "It smelt like diesel fumes and this was inside my centrally air-conditioned room in a five-star hotel. I had absolutely no idea what to do," said a chief purser on a South Asian airline, during a mandatory layover in the city between flights.

The Chinese capital's air quality headlined public debates when Beijing's American embassy placed a pollution-monitoring device on its roof, funnelling its results on to social media sites like Twitter and its Chinese equivalent, Weibo. The Chinese government has its own results, but the American embassy's readings have stricter standards called PM 2.5, measuring particles less than 2.5 microns wide, while the Chinese publish only larger PM 10 measurements.

PM 2.5 is said to measure the more dangerous particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and are associated with emissions from vehicles and industry. The World Health Organisation estimated in 2007 that more than 650,000 people died each year in China from illnesses caused by air pollution. Last year, the Chinese government, after resisting the publication of PM 2.5 figures for months, gave in to public opinion and began issuing numbers for smaller particulate matter in the air of not just the capital but of 70-odd cities.

Perfect Smog

It is, however, not every day that Beijing is enveloped in noxious fumes dubbed "airpocalypse". The government says there were more than 280 "blue sky" days in 2011; residents, of course, raise their eyebrows at that number. The phenomenon is particularly frequent during the city's harsh winters and when demand for electricity soars. Unlike Delhi, Beijing is a city with electricity all day, all year round. Until a decade ago, most of this was supplied from coal-fired plants (these have now been shut), which coupled with rapid urbanisation (more than half of China's population now lives in cities) and a burgeoning middle-class (Beijing sees a quarter million new cars every year despite tight restrictions on the issuance of new number plates), provided the right brew for a sulphur-ridden sky. Together with smoky factories (most of which have been moved to neighbouring but not too far away Hebei province) and Beijing's unique geography, surrounded by mountains on three sides, this created the Perfect Smog.

            This article I about sir pollution in Beijing, China. In the article it was said that air pollution is so bad that people would buy cans of fresh air, cans filled with just air; the inventor made 100,000’s of dollars. In 2008 the US embassy installed air pollution readers to get an understanding of just how bad their pollution was. Above 150 is unhealthy and above 300 is hazardous, Beijing’s reading was 755, clearly there is a problem. The conditions were so bad that it even got visibility down to 50ft, people had to buy air purifiers for their homes, and worst of all a vast number of children and elderly were coming in to hospitals sue to pollutant related breathing problems. After all of this information came about China decided to review how they dealt with measuring pollution particles and now has reduced the particle seize to get better readings. Sadly Beijing’s geography is perfect for making and trapping smog, just another thing adding to the polluted city.

           

            From the article it is clear that air pollution is a very important topic affecting everyone and the problem can only get worse with the quick growth and dependence on technology. In the article it talks about how the air pollution is not only affecting peoples health but also affecting their spending. People have to buy air fresheners because of the smell, cans of air just to breath, and air purifiers for their homes just to keep the basic standards of living. But as I said before air pollution has a big effect on people’s health, and on the environment. If this is where air pollution is now just imagine where it will be with the growth on technological dependence. Hopefully this crisis will get scientists to help and create technology that is not harmful to the environment, because with out that I don’t know what will happen.

            Over all this article was very interesting and informative. I liked the beginning about the cans of fresh air, because in America that just sounds silly and stupid where in Beijing it’s a multi million-dollar idea. I don’t see too much area for improvement, but if they did change it I think that they should add more statistics about the effect on health, and I think that the article should have talked about the effect of air pollution on the environement.  

            

Chrissy Simon

Chrissy Simon 4/12/13

Core Earth Science/ Ms. Davies

Overbye, Dennis. "New Planet in Neighborhood, Astronomically Speaking." New York Times. 16 Oct 2012.

Many scientists across the globe have been on a mission to find another Earth. On Wednesday October 10^th, 2012 a team of European astronomers announced that they had found a planet with the same mass as Earth’s. This planet is in Alpha Centauri. Alpha Centauri is a triple star system that is the Sun’s closest neighbor. It is only 4.4 light-years away. The planet is actually the lightest one ever found orbiting another star. However, this planet is not habitable. It circles Alpha Centauri B, a reddish orb about half as bright as the Sun, every three days at a distance of only about four million miles, resulting in extremely hot surface temperatures of 1,200 degrees. Astronomers said the discovery raised the possibility that there were habitable Earth-like planets right next door and now there is technology that is precise enough to detect them. “Very small planets are not rare,” said Mr. Dumusque. “When you find one small planet, you find others.”

            I think that this article is important to society since it discusses the discovery of a new planet that is very close to the Sun. Due to this discovery the likelihood of finding another planet is high. As scientists find more planets, they may eventually find one that is inhabited. This discovery motivates scientists to continue with their research and encourages them to perform new experiments. However, even with the new technology, HARPS, it will take many years. I was fascinated to learn about the wobble method. It is interesting how they measure the distance and mass of the new planets. Finding more inhabited planets may someday provide us with another location to live at if the Sun dies.  Discovering new planets also allows for more scientific research on different planet crusts and masses.

            The article discusses the need for more research. However it does not explain the benefits of discovering more planets. He says that different scientists need to validate the discovery of a new planet. But what value does that new planet have to our existence? The author of the article does not really explain the benefits of more research and more discoveries. I would like to learn how these discoveries would affect our lives.

Sun Storm Forecast: Tiny Chance of Havoc

Katie Toal    
April 12, 2013                                                                                                   
Earth Science/C Even
Mrs. Davies                                                                                                  

Sun Storm Forecast: Tiny Chance of Havoc

Chang, Kenneth. "Sun Storm Forecast: Tiny Chance of Havoc." The New York Times. N.p., 18 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2013.

In 1859, Earth experienced the effects of a massive solar flare. This storm was the largest recorded geomagnetic storm in history. Billions of tons of both protons and electrons were sent flying toward Earth, where they collided with Earth’s magnetic field. However, this was not all that happened. These particles then became trapped inside of Earth’s magnetic field and gradually produced electrical currents in the ground. In time, those same currents burst out of the earth and into the electrical transmission lines. Because of the heavy amount of particles and electrical currents within these lines, telegraph papers burst into flames, and anyone within a few inches of the wires experienced a severe shock.

Although the occurrence of solar flares is fairly common, in comparison, the likely hood of having another massive solar flare directed at Earth is very rare. However, it is far from impossible and is 100 per cent guaranteed to happen again. This, though, is frightening for many scientists because they realize that if we had a massive solar flare occur today, it would be more than telegraph lines that would feel the effects. In fact, Chang relays that if a storm such as the one in 1859 were to occur today, it would have the potential to blackout entire continents. In addition, satellites above Earth could be disabled, GPS signals would suffer disorienting interference, and transformers could be permanently damaged.

Without a doubt, if a major solar flare were to hit us, it would have major implications for Earth. In fact, the National Research Council believes that some areas may be without power for months and would suffer “chronic shortages for multiple years.” Although we do have people watching for solar flares, we cannot have any way of knowing whether the flare is heading toward Earth until just ten minutes before it actually comes into contact with our magnetic field. Although this sounds tantalizing, electric companies say that they could easily cause a continental-wide blackout to prevent too much electrical damage and that even if power lines were damaged, they could have most people’s power up within a single week. However, opinions on this matter are very controversial. John Kappenman, an engineer who owns Strom Analysis Consultants states that a solar flare today would be comparable to “Sandy magnified by a hundredfold.” Although none know exactly what could happen if a solar flare were to come into contact with the Earth’s magnetic field, the best scientists know that it would be very hard to manage and thus are keeping a watchful eye out for any signs of numerous sun spots, or flashes of white, indicating the beginning of a flare.

I thought that this article was very interesting and informative. I enjoyed this article because it clearly portrayed a thorough knowledge regarding solar flares and also included quotes from many reliable sources, adding to its accurate and informative nature. In addition, although the knowledge presented in this article was at times confusing, Chang made sure to explain each step of the process to make something so complex seem almost simple. Although I really enjoyed this article, I do think it had some weak spots. It stated that a single solar flare could cause mass blackouts as well as “chronic shortages,” but it never explained exactly how this could occur. I think it would have been very interesting to learn how something coming from 1AU away could cause such large-scale damage on Earth. Although some facts were vague, I learned a lot from this article and could only see it being improved by taking away some repetitive facts.