Shooting Down Space Debris

Ground-based nuclear fusion laser observatory tracks and fires at distant space debris targets. (Image Credit: Australian EOS).

EX-Fusion, a Japanese startup, is quite literally aiming at the sky. In cooperation with the Australian defence company Electro-Optics Systems (EOS), they are about to use a big laser to shoot small pieces of space debris out of orbit. According to a recent press release, they plan to use a high-power, diode-pumped, solid-state laser turned skywards from an EOS-owned observatory near Canberra, Australia. EX-Fusion, as the name suggests, actually works on nuclear fusion and develops its lasers primarily to shoot at fuel pellets of hydrogen in the hope that they will fuse to helium and create energy. However, the laser power needed to knock a small piece of junk out of the sky is lower than that needed for nuclear fusion, and for the time being it’s probably a more achievable goal. Check out the official company statements here and here.

This episode of Science News covers what climate sensitivity is and why it is important. Climate sensitivity is a number that roughly speaking tells us how fast climate change will get worse. You can take the quiz here.

Mirrors in Space

Solspace, artist’s impression. Image: University of Glasgow

We have heard of the idea of putting mirrors into space to deflect sunlight and limit global warming. We have also heard of the idea of putting solar collectors into space, converting the energy into microwaves, and sending it to power stations on the ground. But this one was new to me: A group of scientists from the University of Glasgow has worked out a technologically simpler, if similarly ambitious, plan. They want to put mirrors into orbit to direct sunlight at existing solar arrays, thereby optimizing their power production. The proposal, called Solspace, suggests the use of hexagonal reflectors with sides 250 meters long, each weighing about 3 tons, used to service 13 solar energy farms to deliver a total of 284 MWh energy daily. That might sound big, but compared to the plans for putting solar farms into space – with collectors usually spanning several kilometres – this one counts as small. While the plan currently would cost a prohibitive few thousand U.S. dollars per kilogram, the scientists expect the price to drop and the idea to become economically viable within the next decade. Read more about the project here, paper here.

Looking for a More Data-Driven Way to Read the News?

Ground News is a website and app developed by former NASA engineer Harleen Kaur. The platform gathers related articles from more than 50,000 sources around the world in one place so you can compare coverage. For every story you get context about the source of the information, including whether it has a political bias, how reliable it is and who owns it. Their transparent and data-driven rating system empowers you to sort fact from fiction with access to different perspectives in one convenient place.

Life on the Blockchain

An international team of chemists has recently exploited the same blockchain technology your little brother uses to store his crypto to generate the largest-ever network of simulated chemical reactions. They hoped to digitally replicate the rise of prebiotic molecules on early Earth. The blockchain technology made it possible to distribute computing needs flexibly and globally by creating a dedicated network that generated as many as 11 billion possible reactions.The network indicates that some primitive metabolism may have emerged without enzymes, that metabolic cycles cross-talk with competing side reactions, and that self-replication was unlikely to have driven the emergence of life at the molecular level. While I strongly doubt this work will settle the question of the origin of life, it makes a strong case that blockchains aren’t entirely useless.Press release here and the full article here.

Our podcast “Science with Sabine” is available on Spotify, Amazon, Apple, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.