Forum Topic

Nasa climate scientist prat

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/nasa-scientist-protest-extinction-rebellion-b2057563.htmlIn an emotional speech last week in Los Angeles, Nasa scientist Peter Kalmus implored people to listen to the dire warnings of climate change experts.“We’re going to lose everything,” Kalmus said in a video of the moment. “And we’re not joking, we’re not lying, we’re not exaggerating.”Dr Kalmus, a climate scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, was participating in a protest organized by Scientist Rebellion as part of a global day of action by scientists around the world. His protest in LA involved scientists chaining themselves to the doors of a JPMorgan Chase building.

Matt Palmer ● 1391d17 Comments

Global problems.  XR is global not just local.https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/149720/deluge-in-south-africa

Philippa Bond ● 1389d

He doesn't seem to be a prat having watched one of his videos here:https://peterkalmus.net/media/He cut 70% of his family's energy by no longer flying to conferences. Comes across as very down to earth, transparent and honest.

Ed Robinson ● 1389d

Michael,It seems there is a lot of discussions around how green the rocket is and the impact of water vapour - although cutting the engines off early seems to counter this argument and it is certainly a lot greener than traditional rockets. Small particles such as soot and aluminum oxides also seemed to be mentioned - I've no idea how much we are talking about.I guess this shifts the focus on the manufacture, recovery not to mention all the support services and people involved for the launch. Although not a complete waste of space as it appears one of his warehouses was unionised while he was in space with the approval of Biden it seems. (I can't image Starmer saying such a thing!)Can we ignore Virgin Galactic?

Ed Robinson ● 1389d

Ahhh!!!I do not think I fall in that category of people calling XR as prats....

Ivonne Holliday ● 1389d

Ed. I'm not suggesting Bezos should boost his ego by tripping into space but if the fuel is hydrogen the payload weight doesn't matter: the heavier it is the more H it burns and the more water it produces, which isn't a greenhouse gas. Of course then there's manufacturing, servicing, launch preparation, etc which may consume less green materials ... I think NAASA and ESA are aware of environmental issues (presumably why Ariane 6 uses H and ESA, as far as I'm aware, doesn't use nuclear power units in its Interplanetary satellites), I'm not so sure about some of the new commercial organisations entering the space market.Further, most people reduce the weight and size of their payloads because launch costs are very expensive: every cubic cm and gramme costs! (Although I don't think Virgin Galactic will be charging customers by their weight, not yet, anyway!)Apologies, Matt, this is way, way off what, I agree, is an ext topic.

Michael Ixer ● 1389d

Because that's what Sue et al refer to members of XR as.He's a scientist but also a member of XR, ergo he's a prat according to some people on this forum.

Matt Palmer ● 1389d

Hello Matt,No, I am not suggesting that for a minute.The thought that came to my mind instantly when skimming through your post was the amount of rubbish that has been left in space..... By the way, why did you call him prat?

Ivonne Holliday ● 1389d

Michael it also depends what you are sending into orbit. Is the payload as light as it can be and necessary. Difficult to see how the Bezzo could be green.

Ed Robinson ● 1389d

"We really are doomed."How could it be otherwise?

David Ainsworth ● 1389d

Matt, fair comment. I was just trying to inject some balance in the "space flight is not green" - it can generate carbon but it also assists with monitoring climate change. Incidentally, the BE-3 engine used in Bezos's BlueOrigin flight and the new ESA Ariane 6 engines both use hydrogen fuel so no carbon from the launches; sadly SpaceX use Kerosene even though the rockets are reusable …

Michael Ixer ● 1389d

It never ceases to amaze me how this forum immediately jumps on some hypocrisy pedestal so they can ignore the original message. He's a scientist, desperate for governments to act and the best people can come up with here is 'going into space uses a lot of fossil fuels'.Don't look up.We really are doomed.

Matt Palmer ● 1390d

Yes, this is a conundrum; there are obvious benefits from research, gps, telecommunication, weather, surveying, etc satellites but launch emissions are difficult to control. It got mentioned in passing at a BAA event I was at last weekend and is a concerne: historically launches haven't been that frequent so the contribution to greenhouse gases has been minimal; however,  with SpaceX, BlueOrigin, Virgin Galactica, Virgin Orbit and others coming on board it's likely to become more significant. Apparently some launches use hydrogen so their emissions just produce water (although apparently hydrogen production isn't always that green), and there are electrostatic propulsion systems in use but they're not sufficiently powerful for ground launches - they are useful for satellite positioning adjustments or interplanetary boosters once vehicles are in orbit but that doesn't help emissions at ground level.I suspect at present most greenhouse gases produced by space agencies are from flying or driving to meetings which is probably an area where reductions can be made but I have to be honest it's not something I know about in any detail. Again, space tourism is dubious; it can be used to finance R&D but I'm not convinced of the longterm benefits. Still, someone wants to launch satellites with a slingshot: https://www.designboom.com/technology/spinlaunch-slingshot-satellite-launch-system-11-11-2021/

Michael Ixer ● 1390d

It's probable worth reading his wiki page - link below.But having NASA & Jet Propulsion Laboratory might not be the best optics as they say.If you are using the NASA name to add weight to his  scientific climate work, is it not reasonable for people to consider the green credentials of the space industry? Not helped by recent space tourist event.No one expects rockets to be pedal powered but are they as green as they can be?One of the good things about the Space Industry is how collaborative it is. Although international collaboration can lead to increased international travel it is good to see that he is a founder of noflyclimatesci.org.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kalmus_(climate_scientist)#Flying_Less_movement

Ed Robinson ● 1390d

He's a NASA climate scientist. Are you actually suggesting we stop studying our climate??

Matt Palmer ● 1390d

Like Elon Musk they are busy searching for another planet because and while mankind is busy trashing this one.

Philippa Bond ● 1390d

Excuse me for asking, but is this a joke?I find it extraordinary that a NASA scientist is involved with a rebellion against climate change.How many gallons of fuel are needed to ensure lift-off of a spacecraft?

Ivonne Holliday ● 1390d

It's worrying when people know NASA can get a crewed mission to the Moon, fly a helicopter on Mars and put a telescope into near stationary orbit at L2, but don't believe they know what they're talking about with regard to climate change regardless of all the data and knowledge they have concerning it! Sometimes I think the human race deserves to make itself extinct :-(

Michael Ixer ● 1390d