| Global warming is a reality and
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| | reached L1, they would be dealt off the
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| increasingly its consequences are upon
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| | stack into a cloud. There's nothing to
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| us. We may think that global warming does
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| | assemble in space."
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| not affect us but the fact is it has
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| | Angel proposes to design lightweight
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| already started to have disastrous
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| | flyers made of transparent film pierced
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| consequences. Flash floods, droughts,
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| | with small holes and would be two feet in
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| receding icebergs, cyclones are some of
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| | diameter, 1/5000 of an inch thick and
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| the manifestations of global warming.
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| | weigh about a gram, the same as a large
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| Although we are aware and worried about
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| | butterfly. He suggests using "MEMS"
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| it and trying our best to control it but
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| | technology mirrors as tiny sails that
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| no significant impact could be seen.
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| | tilt to hold the flyers position in the
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| Scientists have come up with new
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| | orbiting constellation.
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| strategies to tackle the problem. Now a
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| | The weight of all flyers would be 20
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| scientist has suggested an ambitious idea
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| | millions tons. But conventional rocket
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| to contain global warming. Put sunshades
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| | launch system at $10,000 a pound would be
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| in space. That's right. University of
| |
| | too prohibitive. His alternative would
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| Arizona astronomer Roger Angel suggests
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| | cost only around $20 a pound.
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| putting sunshades in space and has
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| | He suggests deploying a total 20
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| detailed his idea in a paper "Feasibility
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| | electromagnetic launchers launching a
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| of cooling the Earth with a cloud of
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| | stack of flyers every 5 minutes for 10
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| small spacecraft near L1" in the
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| | years. The electromagnetic launchers
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| Proceedings of the National Academy of
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| | would use hydroelectric power but even if
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| Sciences. He suggests launching a
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| | it uses coal-generated electricity, each
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| constellation of trillions of small
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| | ton of carbon used would reduce the
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| free-flying spacecraft a million miles
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| | effect of 1000 tons of atmospheric
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| above Earth into an orbit aligned with
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| | carbon.
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| the sun, called the L-1 orbit.
| |
| | Once propelled beyond Earth's atmosphere
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| This spacecraft would form a long,
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| | the flyer stacks would be steered to L-1
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| cylindrical cloud and would have a
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| | orbit by solar-powered ion propulsion,
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| diameter about half that of Earth, and
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| | pioneered by European Space Agency's
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| about 10 times longer. It is suggested
| |
| | SMART-1 moon orbiter and NASA's Deep
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| that about 10 percent of the sunlight
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| | Space 1 probe.
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| passing through the 60,000-mile length of
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| | "The concept builds on existing
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| the cloud, pointing lengthwise between
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| | technologies," Angel said. "It seems
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| the Earth and the sun, would be diverted
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| | feasible that it could be developed and
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| away from our planet. This would result
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| | deployed in about 25 years at a cost of a
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| in uniformly reduced sunlight by about 2
| |
| | few trillion dollars. With care, the
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| percent over the entire planet and would
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| | solar shade should last about 50 years.
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| balance the heating of carbon dioxide in
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| | So the average cost is about $100 billion
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| Earth's atmosphere.
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| | a year, or about two-tenths of one
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| The use of space shade was first mooted
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| | percent of the global domestic product."
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| by James Early of the Lawrence Livermore
| |
| | He added, "The sunshade is no substitute
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| National Laboratory in 1989.
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| | for developing renewable energy, the only
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| "The earlier ideas were for bigger,
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| | permanent solution. A similar massive
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| heavier structures that would have needed
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| | level of technological innovation and
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| manufacture and launch from the moon,
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| | financial investment could ensure that.
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| which is pretty futuristic," Angel said.
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| | "But if the planet gets into an abrupt
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| "I wanted to make the sunshade from small
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| | climate crisis that can only be fixed by
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| 'flyers,' small, light and extremely thin
| |
| | cooling, it would be good to be ready
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| spacecraft that could be completely
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| | with some shading solutions that have
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| assembled and launched from Earth, in
| |
| | been worked out.
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| stacks of a million at a time. When they
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| |
|
