space trash

Space trash could impact our ability to gather climate data, says former NASA astronaut, Kathy Sullivan, on TEDxLondon’s Climate Curious. As fellow crew members on the spaceship that is planet Earth, tune in to learn about intergalactic waste, why space-based observations are crucial for climate action, and if Kesller syndrome could affect earth’s orbit. 

Resources: 
Listen to Kathy Sullivan Explores podcast episode, ‘You call yourself an astronaut?’
Read up on space debris from NASA.
And from the European Space Agency.

Listen to other Climate Curious episodes on satellites, data and climate action:
Lekha Sridhar, How satellites and AI can help keep 1.5 alive 
Rob Schuwerk, How a database is speeding up fossil fuel’s extinction 
Justin Locke, How storm-proof solar farms can help hurricane alley

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Follow Climate Curious:
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Facebook

Suggest a topic you’d like Climate Curious to cover

Created by TEDxLondon
Produced by Josie Colter
Edit, mix, master by Ben Beheshty
Curated by Maryam Pasha 
Hosted by Maryam Pasha and Ben Hurst 

 

Superstitions and conspiracies this week on Tin Foil Cats. Maddie talks about the root of the international superstition(s) relating to knocking on wood while Jen spaces out with the Black Knight satellite conspiracy theory. Buckle up and get skeptical with your fav creeps. 

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(0:50) - Deployable Solar Sail:

Solar sails are a great alternative to traditional propulsion for deep space travel since it only depends on sunlight as its power source. Recent advances in material science have allowed NASA engineers to develop a solar sail as big as an apartment that can pack itself into a toaster sized satellite. 

(8:00) - Advancing System Security: 

The increasing number of hacks (e.g. Colonial Pipeline) has reignited the pursuit of robust cybersecurity measures and a group of Columbia researchers are offering a no-overhead approach to prevent the most critical system vulnerability: memory attacks.

(14:40) - Cleaning Space Trash: 

Space trash poses a threat against space missions because even the smallest debris can fatally-damage a spacecraft. Embry-Riddle students  partnered with NASA to develop solar sail-powered robots capable of gathering trash and burning it in the atmosphere.

Welcome to a brand new episode and season of Tell Me What You Know. We know you have missed us. In this episode of Tell Me What You Know, we are discussing Space Trash. AKA Space Junk. AKA Space Debris. This is all the crap left orbiting the earth at 17,000 miles per hour after being launched into space on the many thousands of missions over the year. Large things like satellites, dead boosters, and the International Space Station down to tiny objects and flecks of paint. This might not seem like something we need to worry about with the great vastness of space but we’ll learn about a possible future called the Kessler Syndrome where the earth becomes engulfed in these tiny bullets that makes space travel too dangerous. We’ll look at ways we are trying to mitigate problematic future and ideas for cleaning up space. We’re excited to be back on Tell Me What You Know.