Space Technology to Aid International Monitoring of Global Climate Change

On December 7-18, world leaders and over 15,000 participants from 193 countries will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark to confront the damaging effects of global climate change. Conference of the Parties (COP), the highest body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will hold its 15th meeting to establish an agreement for all countries to reduce harmful emissions by 25-40%. In the context of space technology, remote sensing plays a significant role in these efforts. Remote sensing satellites have allowed scientists to observe and monitor real-time impact to our planet and project future climate trends. The Meteosat and Metop series of satellites from the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMESTAT) provide climate data records which have documented rising global temperatures over the years. EUMESTAT is advancing a comprehensive, global, space-based climate monitoring system that will support scientists and policy makers. British PM Gordon Brown (BC) plans to contribute US$1.3B to be used as incentives for developing countries to stop deforestation and to develop low-carbon energy sources. To make sure countries will follow through with the agreement, Brown proposes to use satellites to monitor their progress. Satellite imagery has also helped Maldives and other low-lying nations design sea walls that could protect against storm surges brought on by global climate change. Leaders in attendance include US President Barack Obama (BR) and China premier Wen Jiabao. COP15 President Connie Hedegaard (BL) states Japan, China, India and Indonesia are some of the key players that have brought new momentum to the climate negotiations process. (Credit: COP, thetripwire.com, IPCC, soundofscience.com)

WISE Telescope Set to Uncover Hundreds of Hidden Cosmic Objects

On Friday December 11, NASA will launch the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in CA. The US$320M spacecraft will spend 10 months circling the Earth over the poles mapping the entire sky at 4 infrared wavelengths. Sporting the most sensitive infrared telescope ever sent to space, WISE is expected to find millions of objects that have never been seen. Objects WISE will be seeking out include cold asteroids, some of which may pass close to Earth's path, and cool stars known as brown dwarfs (BR). Scientists speculate a brown dwarf may exist closer than our nearest known star, Proxima Centauri. The mission will also spot dusty star nests, planet-forming disks and evolving galaxies. To make these sensitive observations, all of WISE's detectors must be chilled to temperatures below 8°K so the spacecraft does not give off any detectable infrared light of its own. Data from WISE will serve as navigation charts allowing other missions such as Hubble, Spitzer and the James Webb Telescope to follow up on its findings. Space Dynamics Laboratory of Logan UT built the science instrument, and Ball Aerospace & Technologies of Boulder CO built the spacecraft. Pictured: WISE PI Edward 'Ned' Wright of UCLA. (Credit: wise.ssl.berkeley.edu )