By Stuart Parkinson, Posted by Scientists for Global Responsibility (UK), 20 July 2021 The past few weeks have seen some frightening impacts of climate change – from record-breaking temperatures and major wildfires in western Canada and the USA to unprecedented floods in Germany and Belgium. The hottest temperature reliably recorded
By Eloise Marais, Published by The Conversation, 19 July 2021 The commercial race to get tourists to space is heating up between Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson and former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. On Sunday 11 July, Branson ascended 80 km to reach the edge of space in his
By Katharine Gammon, Published by the Guardian, 19 July 2021 One rocket launch produces up to 300 tons of carbon dioxide into the upper atmosphere where it can remain for years Last week Virgin Galactic took Richard Branson past the edge of space, roughly 86 km up – part of
By Issam Ahmed, Published by Phys.org, 18 July 2021 After years of waiting, Richard Branson's journey to space this month on a Virgin Galactic vessel was supposed to be a triumphant homecoming. Instead, the jaunt attracted significant criticism—about its carbon footprint. With Jeff Bezos set to launch on a Blue
By Brian Gutierrez, Published by the National Geographic, 15 July 2021 The results from the 1962 Starfish Prime test serve as a warning of what might happen if Earth’s magnetic field gets blasted again with high doses of radiation. It was pitch black when Greg Spriggs’ father brought his family
By Dani Garavelli, Published by The Sctosman, 20 June 2021 Sutherland “space crofters” Dorothy Pritchard and Wilma Robertson are standing on the Mhoine - a peat bog stretching from Loch Eriboll to the Kyle of Tongue - and talking about rockets. Situated on the western periphery of the Flow Country,
By Caroline Delbert, Published by Popular Mechanics, 17 June 2021 Mega-constellations might end up being a massive problem. A huge number of low-Earth orbit satellites could cause environmental problems.Byproduct aluminum oxide reflects sunlight and helps to deplete ozone.There are unintended consequences in legality and even the study of astronomy. The
By Jonathan O'Callaghan, Published by Scientific American, 15 June 2021 The company’s ongoing launches of thousands of satellites for global high-speed Internet service may clash with preexisting environmental regulations Should the natural beauty of our night sky be protected under law, or should it be free and open for anyone
