Sunshade in Space - Science Fiction or Reality? | EarthxNews | EarthX - video Dailymotion

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EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/   A giant sunshade in orbit to cool the planet - science fiction or reality? The truth might just be stranger than fiction as scientists look towards the cosmos to combat global warming. Space systems engineer, Dr. Mitchell Kirshner, explains what the sun shielding process could look like.  About EarthxNews:  A weekly program dedicated to covering the stories that shape the planet. Featuring the latest updates in energy, environment, tech, climate, and more.   EarthX Love Our Planet.  The Official Network of Earth Day.  About Us:   At EarthX, we believe our planet is a pretty special place. The people, landscapes, and critters are likely unique to the entire universe, so we consider ourselves lucky to be here. We are committed to protecting the environment by inspiring conservation and sustainability, and our programming along with our range of expert hosts support this mission. We’re glad you’re with us.   EarthX is a media company dedicated to inspiring people to care about the planet. We take an omni channel approach to reach audiences of every age through its robust 24/7 linear channel distributed across cable and FAST outlets, along with dynamic, solution oriented short form content on social and digital platforms. EarthX is home to original series, documentaries and snackable content that offer sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. EarthX is the only network that delivers entertaining and inspiring topics that impact and inspire our lives on climate and sustainability.   EarthX Website: https://earthxmedia.com/   Follow Us:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthxtv/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earthxtv  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/earthxtv   How to watch:    United States:   Spectrum  AT&T U-verse (1267)  DIRECTV (267)  Philo  FuboTV  Plex   #EarthDay #Environment #Sustainability #Eco-friendly #Conservation #EarthxTV #EarthX

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00:00 [ Music ]

00:02 As scientists search for new ways to keep the planet from overheating,

00:06 a team of researchers is exploring an idea that may help cool the planet from space.

00:11 Scientists at the Planetary Sunshade Foundation say that they are building a prototype

00:15 that would place a giant sun shield in orbit.

00:19 Researchers say that they're using solar sail technology developed by NASA.

00:23 Their model would attach lightweight solar sails to a small satellite

00:27 as a way to block just enough sunlight to keep global temperatures within manageable climate boundaries.

00:33 Now, some in the science community claim that the idea is nothing more than science fiction.

00:37 But could it one day become reality?

00:39 Join us now to discuss is space systems engineer Dr. Mitchell Kirshner,

00:44 host of the NASA-sponsored Space Post Haste podcast.

00:48 Thank you so much for being here, Doctor.

00:49 Can you tell us a little bit more about this idea?

00:51 Is this even possible?

00:53 Of course. Thank you for having me.

00:55 So, yes, to some extent, the prototype idea is possible.

00:59 They would be able to develop their prototype with a small satellite

01:03 with solar sails attached to it to test the orbital dynamics of staying in the specific position

01:10 between the sun and the Earth, such that the sunshade will actually, at all times,

01:16 be in between Earth and the sun and shield us from the harmful radiation

01:21 and thereby reduce global temperatures.

01:23 However, the actual required temperature cooling that we would have to do to reduce things like climate change

01:32 and global warming by one and a half degrees Celsius would have to be a sunshade the size of Argentina.

01:40 This solar sail technology, though, can it be used in this manner in other ways?

01:45 Is there another way to try this before we send something up into space?

01:50 Sure. So solar sails are, it's a very fascinating technology.

01:55 It's been around in science fiction for hundreds of years, I believe, before in the 60s,

02:02 NASA engineers who eventually went down to found the Planetary Society,

02:07 developed this solar sail technology, which uses the impact of what some people call space weather

02:15 beyond the Earth's stratosphere. The space weather can propel this sail, much like wind in a ship,

02:22 to specific areas without having to use fuel for doing orbital maneuvers.

02:29 And there have been many missions since 2010 that use the solar sail,

02:33 though having something affixed to such a large size like the fully realized product

02:40 to reduce one and a half degrees of heat, that would require a lot of additional technology.

02:47 So there are ways to maybe simulate that on computers, but that is likely the best,

02:53 the closest we'll get for now until the technology catches up to the idea.

02:58 But you also talk about, you know, you don't mess with Mother Nature.

03:01 That's what a lot of people say, you know, let Mother Nature play its course.

03:04 But there are people that are concerned with something like this,

03:07 and maybe there's some drawbacks to it. Talk about that.

03:10 Yes, of course. So the nice thing about this idea is that it doesn't change anything about atmospheric chemistry.

03:17 When you start talking about ideas like stratospheric aerosol injection,

03:22 where you, or cloud seeding as it's otherwise known, that sometimes creates more rain that you might want.

03:30 It creates other atmospheric or ecological effects that you might not have known would happen

03:35 because you might have these unknown unknowns in your context of the system that you're developing.

03:42 So once you start adding things to Mother Nature, you might not always know what's going to happen as a result.

03:50 Now, with a solar sunshade, all you're not doing anything with the atmosphere here.

03:54 You're just really putting just a sunshade, an umbrella, right between you and the sun,

04:01 like you would on the beach in Florida. So here, even though it's just reducing the amount of light that is reaching the atmosphere,

04:09 it is possible it could still have unintended effects.

04:13 But for that type of analysis of changing of radiation,

04:18 that's a whole other segment of research that would need to be done separate from traditional ecological or climatological studies.

04:28 What's our timeline on something like this? How fast is the research coming along?

04:33 And is this something that we could see in our lifetime, or are we decades or generations out from seeing something like this actually take place?

04:41 Yes. So the technology is definitely coming along.

04:45 There's this concept of technology readiness levels that exist within the engineering world,

04:50 which helps determine how far along these are and how far along they need to be in order to be mass produced

04:57 or really made effective.

05:01 So the nice news is the prototype for the solar sail with the new SpaceX Falcon 9 lift technology

05:09 will be able to actually get that prototype in, I would think, within the next 10 years if those projects are funded.

05:16 This all seems out of this world, as they say, but it could become a reality.

05:20 Thank you so much, Dr. Mitchell Mishner.

05:22 I hope so.

05:23 Appreciate it. Come on.

05:24 Thank you for having me.

05:25 (upbeat music)

Sunshade in Space - Science Fiction or Reality? | EarthxNews | EarthX

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