Space – Pike & Hurricane

The Risks of Space Trash

Gerard Rodon — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 19:14:18 +0000

Have you ever wondered what the earth will look like from space in 100 years?

Perhaps you imagine a Pale Blue Dot, or an Earthrise. I would bet that for most of us, the Earth looks pretty much as it is today. The solitary home of all humankind, half suspended in the darkness of it’s own shadow.

I bet you don’t imagine it will look like a house-of-mirrors version of Saturn, with rings made of supersonic space trash spinning on different axes around our collective home. But according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), this may be the Earth’s fate.

In fact, the world is already beginning to look like this. There are 4857 satellites in Earth’s orbit according the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (probably the coolest UN department on the planet. (pun very much intended)). Of these 4857 satellites, 2877 are now non-operational. And therein lies the issue. There are 2877 large and extremely expensive pieces of trash going roughly 7 kilometers per second around the earth.

The only reason you can read this is because of the ever growing network of satellites, whizzing miles above your head and making the modern world of Emojis, GPS, time zones, and talk shows possible. The underlying infrastructure of the digital world just so happens to be suspended in space where it might just crash into now defunct parts of itself. What’s worse, when it does inevitably crash, it makes a real mess.

Thousands of tiny particles of ex-satellite go off in every direction and continue to move at supersonic speeds. This summer, an astronaut aboard on the International Space Station (ISS) had to plug a hole that was created by small particles of space debris from leaking air with his finger before using more advanced methods involving duct tape.

Growing Interest and Risk

The number of satellites launched each year keep increasing. But the good news is that there has been research and legislation on this problem for decades. NASA has recognized this as far back as 1995 when it published the first Orbital debris mitigation guidelines. This led to some governmental interest first by the US, then other countries like Japan, Russia and France, and the European Space Agency, eventually leading to adoption of protocols on debris mitigation by the UN in 2008. These days any states or companies that want to launch a satellite have to have a plan for bringing down the satellite within 25 years. But all the while, space is getting more profitable as private companies see huge opportunities. Investment in the sector totalled $8 Billion between 2012 & 2017.

Smaller states like Laos, Ghana, and Finland are also joining the party. Space launches are a source of international prestige, as well as a good way of fostering interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. So as demand for satellites keeps going up, supply of available space keeps getting smaller. Before 2009, all recorded orbital collisions had been between satellites and these small pieces of debris, but then a deactivated Russian Military Satellite crashed into an active US communications satellite above Siberia, creating 2000 new pieces of debris to fly off into random orbits. Even small particles can cause a lot of damage when they move at 7 kilometers per second. And collisions only create more particles, which create more collisions…you see where I’m going with this.

So along with those 2877 intact but defunct satellites, there are 21,000 objects measuring 10cm in length, and half a million particles less than a centimeter in length. None of this you want to touch anything valuable or expensive, like a functioning satellite. It is a wonder of engineering, navigation, and luck that we can get anything at all off the ground and into space through this terrifying killer cloud of space trash. The problem is only going to get worse as more satellites are launched into an increasingly congested and perilous place for satellites to be, making the likelihood of collisions ever higher. This problem was given a name back in 1978; Kessler Syndrome. The increase of objects sharing low earth orbit could eventually reach a threshold that sparks a domino effect of orbital collisions.

Worst case scenario: we trap ourselves on earth, unable to safely launch anything into space, not to mention collectively finding ourselves suddenly back in 1959, technologically speaking. The implications are hard to even imagine, a sudden collapse of the global communications system could ignite who-knows-what kinds of geopolitical trouble.

Space Trash Disposal

Currently, disposal happens by nudging defunct satellites back down towards earth which either burn up in the process or land in the satellite graveyard, a remote area of the South Pacific in between New Zealand and Chile. Alternatively, satellites can be pushed higher up into an unused orbit. But this only deals with the intact satellites that can be remotely controlled. We still need to deal with the cloud of deadly particles, so scientists are thinking up solutions to clean up space, involving all the most science-y stuff (Lazers, magnets, Space harpoons…).

Orbital Weapons systems, like those promoted by Reagan and Trump are also a terrible idea if you want to keep space tidy due to their enormous size. It is also pretty obvious that if we started a shooting war above the atmosphere, it would make a big mess. In 2007 China drew international condemnation by creating thousands of pieces of debris by blowing up one of its own satellites to demonstrate its anti-satellite weapon system. With the likely growth of space tourism within a decade, it is becoming evident in the infant private space sector that it is in everyone’s interest to have space be safe and debris free.

Space has always given me a childlike excitement. I share the hopes of the late great Stephen Hawking that humanity can, and must, spread out from its home. Going into the unknown, achieving more and creating a better future. This is the has been the hope at the edge of all frontiers. But time and again it has been short sightedness, tribalism, and the tragic greed that lead to failure, cruelty, and injustice.

If space is too deadly or expensive or big to explore, I wont mind. But if we lock ourselves on earth by basically littering, then it’s just too sad to be funny.

by Gerard Rodan

Photo Credits

NASA Johnson, iss046e043433: CC BY-NC 2.0

NASA

iss027e008683, NASA Johnson, CC BY-NC 2.0

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Beyond Globalisation – becoming a multiplanetary civilisation

Julia Glatthaar — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 22:11:11 +0000

Life has experienced some quite horrible and horrific times, that led to 5 mass extinctions – events where more than 80 percent of all species died out. Statistically speaking, the next mass extinction will come sooner or later, and let us hope for the latter, but it will hit us at some point.

The future might bring us nuclear war and climate change, maybe we will get hit by an asteroid, just look at what happened to the poor dinosaurs, or eventually we’ll be engulfed by the sun. You get the idea. The chances of humans surviving are very, very slim.

So, with all of this being so closely examined and researched, wouldn’t the most logical consequence be to have a backup plan? Shouldn’t we try to “save” the human being on a “USB-Stick”, in case our “computer” crashes? Some people are actually working on this “backup Earth” by planning future travels to and settlements on Mars.

Space Travel

During the 60’s and the epic race to space, 4 percent of all federal spendings of the US were dedicated to NASA, whereas in the 2000s the budget has shrunk to 0,3 percent.
Projects of putting people on Mars, colonising the Milky Way, seem unthinkable and out of reach. Putting people into space seems to have lost its charm.

But, how is this possible when we live in an era of technological advancement? How is it possible that it seems as if no politicians or countries are making space travel one of their priorities? And how on earth is all of this possible when this generation might be the last one to be able to affect the chances of sustaining life of the human species on Earth?

Elon Musk, SpaceX and the Big F***ing Rocket

Well, there is one person who takes space travel very seriously. His name is Elon Musk. Some of you may hear his name for the very first time, others might have heard of him as a co-founder of PayPal, the founder and CEO of Tesla, and a person involved in many other projects such as the Hyperloop, OpenAI, SolarCity or Neuralink.

I will introduce him to you as the founder of SpaceX, as someone who aims to make this “Earth backup” by putting 1 million people on Mars by 2060. Manned missions would start in 2024.

SpaceX is a company that “designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft […] to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets”.

There have already been major advancements by SpaceX. The company has revolutionised space travel by building a reusable rocket, a rocket that will eventually transport humans to Mars and goes by the name of BFR – the Big F***ing Rocket.

Should we colonise Mars?

And of course there is some criticism out there. Critics might ask why we even should move to Mars and destroy yet another planet? Could you argue that by civilising Mars, humans will care less about environmental problems on Earth?

But keep in mind: Mars is not our second chance to make things right, it is not the new refuge for humankind, once we have made Earth an uninhabitable planet. Mars is simply the easiest option to become multiplanetary. As Musk explained in an interview with National Geographic: “The future of humanity is fundamentally going to bifurcate along one of two directions: Either we’re going to become a multiplanetary species and a spacefaring civilization, or we are going be stuck on one planet until some eventual extinction event.”

I know, that this is an abstract idea. On some days I totally get it; it seems like the most logic thing to do – create a backup of humans so that we can stick around for longer in the event of a mass extinction. On other days I tell myself: “This idea is nuts, Elon Musk must be a crazy person, to think that he can create a colony on Mars. Why start polluting more parts of our Galaxy when we can’t even take care of our own planet?”

Whatever you feel right now, I hope that you have managed to step back and get a glimpse of the big picture concerning our future.

By Julia Glatthaar

Photo Credits:

Rebekka Olshcewski, all rights reseved

Interplanetary Transport System, SpaceX, CC0 1.0

EchoStar XXIII Launch, SpaceX, CC0 1.0

Interplanetary Transport System, SpaceX, CC0 1.0

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One Way Ticket to Mars

Pam Tannous — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 17:51:19 +0000

It has long been a dream for many living on Earth to colonize the ‘Red Planet’. Mars has been viewed for many years as a planet close to us with conditions that can possibly support life. With that said, Mars One is now selecting volunteers for an everlasting stay with one way ticket to Mars. Interested in further exploration, Mars One will establish a permanent human settlement on Mars. Starting from 2024, crews composed of four volunteers will depart every two years. Therefore, a search for aspiring space explorers began in April 2013 and up until now more than 200,000 have volunteered for getting a one way ticket to mars. This year Mars one have reduced its pool of astronaut candidates to only 100. Eventually, Mars one intends to choose 24 candidates who will have the opportunity to dedicate their life to the mission. Although most people would rather lose a leg than spending the rest of their lives on an isolated and cold planet, many space explorers have volunteered to leave keeping in mind the risks which this lifetime trip holds.
Before the takeoff to Mars, each volunteer will be put through eight years of training and isolated from the rest of the world for a few months. The purpose of this is to test their ability of living in close quarters. After their extreme training, each explorer will be pushed to the limits as it will take up to seven or even eight months to reach Mars. The four astronauts will spend their trip in a very small area, free from all sorts of luxury such as showering.

For someone who doesn’t share the dream this might sound suicidal, but for others it is a dream come true. Dreaming for new refreshing life, the volunteers will have a very normal life once they arrive on Mars where they will be living in more than 200 m2 interior space. The astronauts will be able to shower, sleep on beds, wear regular clothes and even harvest and prepare their own food. However, if they want to leave the settlement, they would have to wear a specially designed for the environment suit, as mentioned by the Mars One team.

To make life as normal as possible prior to the arrival of the astronauts, rovers will do most of the heavy construction work. This will leave the explorers with a short period of time to find their own routine and carry out valuable construction work and research.

While the first crew awaits, the second one, they will apply technology and physical labor to the construction of additional living and working spaces, using local materials. Mars One is working on additional concepts, such as building of tunnels and domes made from compressed Martian soil, which may be able to provide a breathable atmosphere for the astronauts to live in.

As part of their daily life, the astronauts who will be living on Mars, will have to conduct a great amount of research. They will research how their bodies respond and change when living in a 38% gravitational field, and how food crops and other plants grow in hydroponic plant production units. The research will also include extra-settlement exploration of the ancient and current geology on Mars. Also, much research will be dedicated to the determination if life was once present or now exists on Mars. Apart from submitting research reports, astronauts will also be able to share with everyone else on Earth what they find challenging and what they enjoy living on Mars.

In spite of the pros and cons of living on Mars, there are some risks and challenges that the volunteers have to be willing to take. It is not certain whether the flight will make it to Mars, because human space exploration is dangerous on all levels. A little mistake or an accident can result in a large failure, injury or even death. Each system and its backup must function without any problems or else the lives of the astronauts will be put to a great risk. Also carrying out a mission of this magnitude could have a high risk on their health, and moreover, it is hard to solve physical problems with technology. Without gravity the human body could suffer a serious amount of instability such as bone loss (one percent per month), fainting-spells, cognitive problems such as Alzheimer´s like symptoms, weakness and lack of cardiovascular fitness, and also muscle atrophy.

Apart from medical conditions, the volunteers could face weather problems as forecast on Mars is usually dramatic. During the day the temperature can be as warm as 20 C; however, during the night it can drop to -90 C. This huge difference can lead to dust devils and dust storms that can engulf the entire planet for weeks. Another bad aspect of the weather is that the winter temperatures can stay as low as -140 C which can cause the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to freeze and become dry ice.

As it can be concluded, potential astronauts will be facing many risks and challenges on the ‘Red Planet’. By going on this trip they will be giving up on the beauty of Earth such as the oceans, the forests and the mountains, but it will also mean missing the wars and the conflicts. While some might see it as a suicide mission, others see it as an opportunity for much better and peaceful life than the one on our planet Earth.
Exploring Mars is something that interests many people and those who have decided to start a new life on Mars will forever hold a part in our history.

By Pamela Tannous

Image Credit:

Picture 1: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Picture 2: Cyril Rana, licensed under CC BY 2.0

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