Participatory science: a meteorite over Brittany, and hundreds of testimonies

September 6, 2021 

 

Maria Gill

The general public describes them as “meteors”. As long as they have not touched the mainland, scientists prefer the term “meteorites” or “meteorites” over them. To the naked eye and to the noise it’s a big pebble that crossed the sky over Brittany Point just before 10 p.m., on Sunday, September 5. The star followed a course from south to north, from Dornese, past the highest peak of Morlix, then over Pyrrhus-Guerik, before disappearing over the Channel not far from the British coast: the Channel Islands air rescue body also indicated its presence. Notice the meteor in the Jersey sky, exactly at 9:47 p.m. “Because of its extreme luminosity, the weight of the polyide should be on the order of one kilogram and we estimate its velocity at about 70 kilometers per second, identifies François Colas, of the Observatory from Paris (OBSPM). It followed an almost linear trajectory and went so fast that it ended up disintegrating about 40 kilometers above sea level. From the channel.” By finishing off the dust scattered in the sea, this rocky body cannot therefore be classified as… a meteorite. Therefore it is ranked among the 95% of the luminous events that occur every year in our sky that give no terrestrial impact.

popular madness

However, this rather rare phenomenon by its brilliance is confirmed by hundreds of testimonies multiplied on social networks. “ Our FRIPON / Vigie-Ciel Site More than 250 declarations have been registered, which means that our network is gradually establishing itself as a benchmark,” enthuses Brigitte Zanda of the National Museum of Natural History (MNHM) who works with Sylvain Bouly of the GéoSciences Laboratory at the University of Paris-Sud and François Colas created this monitoring system in 2015. The researcher continues: “For us, this dimension of participatory science is central to research development, and as we see, people want to help us in our process.”

It’s hard to find meteors when they hit Earth

For this “pebble” that flew over northwest France and was seen as far as Normandy, the descriptions are always the same: a luminous flicker at a very high speed is visible for a few seconds, and after a few more minutes, a thud corresponding to the shock wave. A “thumping” sound would, in Brest, make the windows of houses vibrate. Some even believed in an earthquake. “The disintegration was inevitable due to the speed of the body, continues François Colas. It was about ten times faster than the Crew Dragon capsule that would bring Thomas Bisquet back to Earth.” It happens that meteorites develop more slowly. It all depends on their orbital speed and Earth’s speed. “The two forces can conflict with each other, which is very rare, but it is estimated that a vehicle would have to evolve at less than 20 kilometers per second to get through the atmosphere and end up in one piece. And again, like a large part of the Earth’s surface is made up of oceans. , which reduces the probability of these small celestial bodies landing on land .5 to 25 times in meteorites annually.

In addition to its participatory dimension, the Fripon Network (Fireball Recovery InterPlanetary and Observation Network, Editor’s Note.) now has a good hundred wide-field (360°) cameras whose installation has been state funded via the National Research Agency (ANR).” ), explains Brigitte Zanda. Most of them are separated by about 70 to 100 kilometers.” A sufficient network to observe the various natural celestial events over France. This was the case last night in Brittany even if one of the cameras (in Brest) was disturbed by a thick layer of clouds. “I am currently working on refining the track by doing the calculations manually. We will achieve greater accuracy thanks to the testimonies collected, welcomes François Colas. Here again, citizen participation will be essential. The Paris Observatory is also preparing to help them track the meteorites from next weekend. “We are organizing a fishing expedition near the Maisontiers in Deux-Sèvres to try and find one that fell on July 13.” Dozens of enthusiasts are expected on the site. Amazing than in Brittany, the harvest may be much more expensive for scientists.

Massive NASA Deep Space Antenna Just Caught Its 1,000th Near-Earth Asteroid

As part of its Planetary Defense Program, NASA’s Deep Space Network has spotted its thousandth Near-Earth Asteroid after opening the account in 1968

BY NADEEM SARWAR

PUBLISHED 9 HOURS AGO



NASA’s Deep Space Network has achieved a historic milestone by spotting its 1,000th Near-Earth Object (NEO) in the form of an asteroid that recently passed Earth at a distance of about one million miles. The DSN is a network of on-ground spacecraft communication facilities located across three continents to support NASA’s interplanetary missions and is also involved in radio and radar-based observations for exploring the solar system. What is now the DSN was first established back in 1968 alongside NASA, and today it is thought to be at the vanguard of developing deep space communications and navigation tech

Even though the DSN’s primary roles are telemetry, serving as a space command site, and managing radio contact between spacecraft and Earth, it is also home to advanced radio astronomy and mapping tech to study passing asteroids. The latter is accomplished using planetary radar that made its first discovery — an asteroid named 1556 Icarus — all the way back in 1968. These radar examinations are done as part of NASA’s NEO Observations Program, which itself is a part of the Planetary Defense Program. And if that name sounds important, that’s because it is responsible for studying and warning about potentially hazardous bodies like the Bennu asteroid.

Now, the latest discovery by the massive 70-meter deep space antenna is not as exciting or frightening, but it is a great achievement for another reason. The Deep Space Station 14 antenna at the California-based Goldstone Deep Space Complex spotted the project’s 1,000th Near-Earth object in just over fifty years since its establishment. The object in question is a small asteroid with a width of between 65 and 100 feet, passing Earth at a distance of about a million miles. However, more details regarding a possible infernal state or ice-cold nature are yet to be discovered.

A Milestone Discovery For A Critical Planetary Defense System

As for the discovery process, the DSS-14 antenna was used to send radio waves to the asteroid, whose echoes (or radar reflections) were then recorded to study it. On the basis of an asteroid’s size and distance, these radio techniques can be used to create an image of the celestial body’s surface with great detail, calculate its spin rate, determine its shape, and check whether it has any natural moon. The end goal of the Planetary Defense Program is to perform such analyses in order to detect potentially hazardous objects such as NEOs by studying their size and orbit, and assessing if they pose a threat to Earth.

Once an object is classified as a threat, it is continuously tracked, and if its chances of colliding with the Earth exceed the 1 percent mark in the next 50 years, mitigation strategies are set into motion. The space agency is already developing multiple defense methods if an asteroid is set on a collision course with the Earth. NASA notes that its huge radar system is fundamental to planetary defense efforts as it monitors potentially hazardous bodies and performs in-depth studies to make sure that the Earth is prepared if there are any chances of impact in the near future.

The ISS could be gone by 2024 — what does it mean the future of space travel?

The future of space stations is uncertain once the International Space Station ends its mission — China and private industry could fill the void.




STORY BY
The Cosmic Companion

Retiring the International Space Station in the coming years presents a big void “ what will be the future of space stations once the International Space Station meets its fiery death in the coming years? And SHOULD the ISS be decommissioned, or might the mission lifetime be extended?

Construction of the International Space Station (ISS), started in 1998, was completed in 2011. Since that time, the ISS has housed travelers in space from 19 countries. Possessing the only laboratory for long-duration microgravity research, discoveries aboard the orbiting outpost have led to a bevy of new discoveries.

Now, its mission could be over as early as 2024, as that is the time agreements between NASA and international partners comes to an end. However, on the 25 August, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated his support for extending the mission of the space station until the year 2030.

“We expect to expand the space station as a government project all the way to 2030. And we hope it will be followed by commercial stations,” Nelson stated.

Although Nelson has long supported extending the lifetime of the ISS to 2030, the U.S. Congress has, so far, failed to continue funding past 2024. Such an agreement would need the approval of Canada, Russia, Europe, and Japan.

Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency, strongly supports an extension, as does Walther Pelzer, head of the German space agency DLR.
The Yangs and Kohms

The future of space stations could be private, as the ability to reach space becomes more common among non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

One company developing private space stations, Axiom Space, seeks to begin with expanding out the ISS while constructing their own orbiting outpost. Their egg-shaped modules are designed to provide a 360-degree view of space, and the Earth turning far below.

“Once fully assembled, Axiom Station will nearly double the useable volume of the International Space Station,” the team reports.

Credit: Axiom Station

An artist concept of the Axiom station deployed on the International Space Station.

An artist concept of the Axiom station deployed on the International Space Station. Image credit: Axiom Space
Sierra Space also has its own design for long-term habitation in low-Earth orbit.

“Sierra Space’s space station leverages its transportation and destination technologies including the Dream Chaser space-plane and LIFE Habitat. The station is a configuration of multiple expandable LIFE habitats that can be serviced by both cargo- and crew-carrying Dream Chaser spaceplanes,” the company describes.

Nations including China are now investing in space exploration in an effort to further science, encourage minds, and discover technologies needed to face global climate change in a post-oil world.

On 16 June, China successfully launched the first module in its own space station, Tiangong, into orbit around Earth.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) also plans to launch aHubble-class space telescope to accompany their spaceborne laboratory.

During his talk, Nelson called out for cooperation with China building the future of space stations. However, he also stated the he believed the United States is now in a space race with The Middle Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Russia and China have agreed to work together building a base on the Moon, and they have extended an offer to Europe to join their project. In the United States, NASA continues with their goal of returning to the Moon (hopefully in 2024) with the Artemis program.

Home… home in orbit… where the rocks and the space debris play…

Credit: NASA The ISS photographed from a Soyuz spacecraft

Over time, the space station is slowly losing its orbit, and must be continually adjusted. Much of the fuel needed to carry out this task comes from leftover resupply ships launched from Earth.

The space station is also under constant threat from micrometeorites and space debris. Eventually, the laws of probability state the ISS will “ one day “ suffer catastrophic damage from such an impact.

Letting this massive craft enter the Earth’s atmosphere in an uncontrolled re-entry could prove hazardous to those on the ground. The safest option is a planned re-entry over the sparsely-populated South Pacific.

One challenge facing those planning to eventually de-orbit the ISS is that it is big “ really big. Nearly 100 meters long, the facility offers living space as large as a six-story house. Were it on our home world, the ISS would weigh 420,000 kilograms (900,000 pounds) “ more than the weight of four average blue whales “ the largest animals ever to live on Earth.

When the time comes to end the mission of the ISS, thrusters (likely provided by Russian Progress spacecraft) will direct the orbiting outpost to an incendiary re-entry over the southern Pacific Ocean.

Before that time comes, try to see the ISS flying overhead (several apps are available telling you when to look) “ it’s quite a remarkable sight.


This article was originally published on The Cosmic Companion by James Maynard, the founder and publisher of The Cosmic Companion. He is a New England native turned desert rat in Tucson, where he lives with his lovely wife, Nicole, and Max the Cat. You can read the original article here.

Justin Trudeau hit by stones on campaign trail

Justin Trudeau has been campaigning ahead of the 20 September vote

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been hit by gravel thrown by protesters during a campaign stop.

He was returning to his bus after visiting a brewery when he was pelted by gravel. He was not injured.

Mr Trudeau called a snap election in mid-August, in the hope of gaining a majority government for his left-of-centre Liberal party.

But his campaign has been disrupted by demonstrations against Covid-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions.

Just over a week ago, the prime minister was forced to cancel an election rally after a crowd of angry protesters ambushed the event.

Speaking to journalists on his campaign plane after the incident in London, Ontario, Mr Trudeau said he may have been hit on the shoulder.

According to a reporter with Canada's CTV National News, two people travelling on a media bus were also hit by the gravel, although they were not injured.

Erin O'Toole, the leader of the opposition Conservative Party, described the incident as "disgusting".

"Political violence is never justified and our media must be free from intimidation, harassment, and violence," he tweeted.

Mr Trudeau's plans for vaccine mandates have become a a key issue ahead of the 20 September election.

Last month, the government announced that all civil servants - including workers in federally regulated sectors, like rail - must be vaccinated by the end of October or risk losing their jobs.

Commercial air, cruise and interprovincial train passengers must also be vaccinated to travel.

Canada has one of the highest Covid vaccination rates in the world.

Protests dogging Canadian prime ministers is not a new phenomenon - and many prime ministers, including Mr Trudeau, have faced security threats.

Still, journalists covering the Liberal campaign say the anti-vaccine protest mobs following Mr Trudeau are more chaotic and sustained than they've seen in the past.

For his part, the Liberal leader says he won't back down against what he calls a "small fringe element" of Canadian society.

He also brushed off the latest altercation, comparing it to an incident a few years ago where a woman hurled pumpkin seeds his way.

Other politicians on the campaign trail have condemned the protesters' behaviour and, in some cases, have spoken out about the vitriol they have personally experienced both online and in-person.

Anti-vaccination protestors aren't only targeting politicians.

Sometimes raucous protests have been taking place outside Canadian hospitals as provinces including Quebec and Ontario move to implement vaccine passports which limit access to places like restaurants, sports venues, and gyms to those who have been vaccinated.

Seal population a barometer of River Thames's health

The River Thames is healthier than people might think as shown by seal numbers, conservationists have said.

Marine biologists use the seal population as a barometer of river health and say despite a dip in numbers the river is thriving.

Researchers from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) found the river was home to 2,866 grey seals and 797 harbour seals after pupping season.

The seals have been counted every year since 2013, apart from 2020.

The river's seals have been counted every year since 2013, apart from 2020

In 2019, 932 harbour seals and 3,243 grey seals - identifiable by their longer snouts - were counted.

Marine biologists say the relatively stable numbers of seals indicate good water quality and reliable stocks of fish.

Conservation biologist Thea Cox said: "As top predators, (seals) are a great indicator of ecological health, so they tell us how the Thames is doing."

During the 1950s the river was declared "biologically dead" and researchers say the wildlife shows how far its recovery has come.

Despite a dip in numbers the seal population in the Thames is healthy, researchers say

"People think the Thames is dead because it is brown, but the Thames is full of life - the water quality has improved so much," Ms Cox said.

Although they are a protected species, seals face a number of threats, including disease, marine litter, becoming entangled in "ghost nets" - abandoned fishing gear - and being hit by ship traffic.

The seals are also vulnerable to disturbance when they are having their pups, particularly from curious members of the public, loose dogs and other water users like canoeists and kayakers.

To monitor the population, researchers compare the seals from photographs taken from a light aircraft of different haul-out spots in the Thames Estuary over a period of three days.

The numbers are totted up and the final figure adjusted to account for the fact that a number of seals will always be out at sea.

Despite the fall in numbers, the research team said it was not definitive proof that the two populations of seals were facing difficulties.

University of Glasgow robots may be used in construction

SEP 06, 2021

Worm-like robots developed by engineers at the University of Glasgow in Scotland may be used in hard-to-reach places on construction sites


Engineers from the University of Glasgow in Scotland have developed “worm-like” robots which could potentially be used on construction sites. The team believes that the idea may spawn more robots with the capability to work in hard-to-reach places.
Roboworms

Nicknamed “Roboworms”, the robots are able to extend up to nine times their own body length and are able proprioception, a method that allows greater spatial awareness in organisms such as worms. Professor Ravinder Dahiya, of the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering and leader of the BEST group, said, “Proprioception is a vital characteristic of many forms of biological life, and scientists have long been inspired to try and develop engineered systems which mimic this ability.

“Our bioinspired robots are a step towards creating soft, flexible robot systems capable of the infinite directions of movement that nature has created in inchworms and earthworms. The ability of soft robots like these to adapt to their surroundings through seamlessly embedded stretchable sensors could help autonomous robots more effectively navigate through even the most challenging environments,” he said.

The breakthrough is based on previous research conducted by the learning institution’s institution’s Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies (BEST) group, which has found novel ways to embed flexible electronics into deformable surfaces. The robotic technology has also allowed for the construction of intrinsic strain sensors into the worm-like robots. Each roboworm measures around 4.5cm in length.

A Roboworm. Image: University of Glasgow


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They also have a layer of ‘skin’ made from Ecoflex, a type of stretchable plastic, and a graphite paste. To help them manoeuvre, Roboworms have small, permanent magnets attached at either end of their tubular bodies, whilst sensors in their skin allow them to ‘sense’ their in relation to their bodies.

The University of Glasgow published a paper on their breakthrough with the title: ‘Bioinspired Inchworm and Earthworm like Soft Robots with Intrinsic Strain Sensing’. The paper appeared in Advanced Intelligent Systems and the research was backed by funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the European Commission.

Other uses for Roboworms

In addition to their potential usage on a construction site, the University of Glasgow said the robots could also be applied to the mining industry as well as situations including disaster relief in which they could help look for victims trapped under rubble.

 

Cattle scientists use AI to improve quality and quantity of meat, dairy

by University of Florida

Credit: University of Florida

For a century, researchers have tracked genetic traits to find out which cattle produce more and better milk and meat. Now, two University of Florida scientists will use artificial intelligence to analyze millions of bits of genetic data to try to keep cattle cooler and thus, more productive

Raluca Mateescu, a UF/IFAS professor, and Fernanda Rezende, a UF/IFAS assistant professor—both in animal sciences—gather hundreds of thousands of pieces of information about cattle genetic traits. They plan to use UF's supercomputer, the HiPerGator, to analyze that data. With the information Mateescu and her team get from the HiPerGator, they can give ranchers better recommendations on which animals to keep and breed for improved quantity of beef and dairy.

"AI has rapidly emerged as a powerful approach in animal genomics and holds great promise to integrate big data from multiple biological layers, leading to accurate prediction of future traits—for example, meat yield," Mateescu said. "My research group is investigating the use of AI methods to develop approaches to accurately predict the value of certain genes. Ultimately, we plan to provide more effective strategies to improve animal productivity."

With 25.6 million head of cattle, dairy herds peaked in the United States in 1944. As of 2017, there were only 9 million, but they produce more milk. With fewer cattle producing more dairy and beef, the livestock industries are leaving a lower environmental footprint, such as methane emissions, Mateescu said.

While all that is good, Mateescu knows she and other researchers can help ranchers improve cattle beef and dairy output. That's where AI comes into play.

"We know some of the specific genes for milk and meat production," she said. "But we're looking into a bit of a black box. AI will help us clear up the mystery faster and more accurately."

Livestock traits of economic importance—milk and meat yield, meat quality—are factors of both genetics and the environment. Mateescu can only control a cow's environment to a certain degree. But she and other scientists can improve cattle genetically. There are thousands of genes in the cattle genome, and each gene contains thousands of different genetic markers.

As an example of her team's use of AI, Mateescu is processing genetic data from about 1,000 beef cattle. From that process, researchers have extracted data on 770,000 DNA genetic markers, more than 18,000 genes and 86 traits—on every animal. That's way more data than any human can analyze and integrate.

That's why Mateescu and Rezende are using HiPerGator, the largest university-based supercomputer in the world. HiPerGator then tells the scientists what particular combination of genetic markers and genes will result in better animals—in other words, which ones will be cooler and thus, more productive.

"AI allows us to use more information—the more information we have on an animal, the higher the accuracy of our prediction," Mateescu said. "Given the complex genetic architecture, it is challenging for researchers to identify how these thousands of genetic markers and thousands of genes combine to produce the traits we see. AI can help researchers achieve that goal. We are just starting to use AI to address these problems."

Scientists work to develop heat-resistant 'cow of the future'

Provided by University of Florida 

Police clash with opponents of Serbian church in Montenegro

By PREDRAG MILIC

September 5, 2021

1 of 13

Protesters stand at one of the blockades during a protest against the inauguration of Metropolitan Joanikije, near Cetinje, Montenegro, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021. Riot police used tear gas on protesters who fired gunshots in the air and hurled bottles and stones early Sunday in Montenegro before a planned inauguration of the new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the country. The ceremony scheduled in Cetinje, a former capital of the small Balkan nation, has angered opponents of the Serbian church in Montenegro, which declared independence from neighboring Serbia in 2006. 

(AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)


CETINJE, Montenegro (AP) — Arriving in a military helicopter, the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro was inaugurated in the state’s old capital on Sunday amid clashes between police and protesters who oppose continued Serb influence in the tiny Balkan nation.

Hospital officials in the city of Cetinje said at least 60 people were injured, including 30 police officers, in clashes that saw police launch tear gas against the demonstrators, who hurled rocks and bottles at them and fired gunshots into the air. At least 15 people were arrested.

Sunday’s inauguration ceremony angered opponents of the Serbian church in Montenegro, which declared independence from neighboring Serbia in 2006. Since Montenegro split from Serbia, pro-independence Montenegrins have advocated for a recognized Orthodox Christian church that is separate from the Serbian one.

Evading road blockades set up by the demonstrators, the new head of the Serbian church in Montenegro, Metropolitan Joanikije, arrived in Cetinje by a helicopter along with the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije. TV footage showed the priests being led into the Cetinje monastery by heavily armed riot police holding a bulletproof blanket to shield their bodies.

Patriarch Porfirije later wrote on Instagram that he was happy that the inauguration was held, but added that he was “horrified by the fact” that someone near the monastery wanted to prevent the ceremony “with a sniper rifle.” The claim could not be immediately independently verified.

The demonstrators set up barriers with trash bins, tires and large rocks to try to prevent church and state dignitaries from coming to the inauguration. Chanting “This is Not Serbia!” and “This is Montenegro!,” many of the protesters spent the night at the barriers amid reports that police were sending reinforcements to break through the blockade. Tires at one blockade were set on fire.

Montenegrins remain deeply divided over their country’s ties with neighboring Serbia and the Serbian Orthodox Church, which is the nation’s dominant religious institution. Around 30% of Montenegro’s 620,000 people consider themselves Serb.

Metropolitan Joanikije said after the ceremony that “the divisions have been artificially created and we have done all in our power to help remove them, but that will take a lot of time.”

In a clear demonstration of the sharp political divide in Montenegro, President Milo Djukanovic, the architect of the state’s independence from Serbia, visited Cetinje while the current pro-Serb Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic went to Podgorica to welcome the Serbian patriarch.

While Krivokapic branded the protests as “an attempted terrorist act,” Djukanovic said the protesters in Cetinje were guarding national interests against the alleged bid by the much larger Serbia to impose its influence in Montenegro through the church.

Djukanovic accused the current Montenegrin government of “ruthlessly serving imperial interests of (Serbia) and the Serbian Orthodox Church, which is a striking fist of Serbian nationalism, all against Montenegro.”

Montenegro’s previous authorities led the country to independence from Serbia and defied Russia to join NATO in 2017. Montenegro also is seeking to become a European Union member.

In Serbia, President Aleksandar Vucic, who has been accused by the opposition in Montenegro of meddling in its internal affairs in conjunction with Russia, congratulated Joanikije on his inauguration and praised the government for going ahead with the ceremony despite the clashes.

“Cetinje is a town where some 90% of the people are against the Serbian Orthodox Church, where there is hate towards everyone who is not Montenegrin,” Vucic said in Belgrade. “This is not a real hate, its hate that is induced by certain politicians in Montenegro, so it was quite logical to expect what happened there.”

The U.S. government urged all sides “to urgently de-escalate the situation.”

“Religious freedom and the freedom of expression, including to peacefully assemble, must be respected,” the U.S. Embassy said.

Joanikije’s predecessor as church leader in Montenegro, Amfilohije, died in October after contracting COVID-19.

___

Dusan Stojanovic and Jovana Gec contributed from Belgrade, Serbia.

Space industry grapples with COVID-19-related oxygen fuel shortage
By
Paul Brinkmann

Trucks offload liquid oxygen at a storage tank inside Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo courtesy of NASA

Sept. 7 (UPI) -- A pandemic-related shortage of a key rocket propellant, liquid oxygen, could force rocket launches to be postponed in coming months, possibly delaying important scientific and national defense missions, industry observers said.

In fact, NASA already pushed back the launch of its Landsat 9 climate and land use satellite from California by one week to Sept. 23 because of delivery problems for required liquid nitrogen. Those are related to the liquid oxygen supply chain snarls, the agency said.

Supplies of liquid propellant in the region aren't the problem, Del Jenstrom, a NASA project manager for the Landsat program, said at recent a public conference.

"There's plenty of liquid nitrogen in the Los Angeles area. The problem is they need trucks to bring it up to Vandenberg," he said. "Because of the pandemic ... liquid oxygen deliveries have been paying much higher premiums than liquid nitrogen deliveries, and LN2 trucks have been converted to carry liquid oxygen."

Pandemic-related demand for liquid oxygen by hospitals, especially in rural areas, has strained the delivery network for the precious commodity. More truck drivers are needed to deliver the supercooled element to both hospitals and launchpads, but finding more drivers trained to handle it is difficult.

"Current pandemic demands for medical liquid oxygen have impacted the delivery of the needed liquid nitrogen supply to Vandenberg [Space Force Base]," NASA said in a blog post about the shortages.

"We are talking about a vast amount of oxygen for a launch," said Csaba Palotai, a physics professor at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. For example, one SpaceX launch of a Falcon 9 rocket can use about 40,000 gallons of the supercooled element.

"It is likely that launches will be delayed significantly due to the priority given to the healthcare industry, especially if the number of people who need oxygen continues to increase," Palotai said.

The reason for the shortage: Hospitals require oxygen to treat many COVID-19 patients, who are filling intensive care units and acute beds throughout the country. Hospitals in the South have had to borrow oxygen from other states, according to reports.

Super-cooled liquid oxygen is ignited to produce thrust for rockets. Hospitals heat the gas to create pure oxygen to assist in coronavirus care.

In addition to NASA, SpaceX cited the liquid oxygen shortage in public comments recently.

SpaceX launches will be "impacted" by the lack of liquid oxygen this year, company president Gwynne Shotwell said during a space conference panel discussion in Colorado on late last month.

Two days later, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk -- Shotwell's boss -- posted on Twitter that launch delays due to liquid oxygen shortages were "a risk, not yet a limiting factor."

The biggest challenge for the increased use of liquid oxygen is transportation, Rich Craig, vice president of technical and regulatory affairs at the Compressed Gas Association, a trade association, said in an interview.

That's because it is stored at minus-300 degrees F, which requires specialized tanker trucks and trained drivers, he said.

"Our members are making all the liquid oxygen they can, but in some areas, Florida for example, that's just not enough," Craig said. "So they are bringing in supplies from elsewhere. That means more transport time."

He said the association's priority is to make sure hospitals and patients receive the treatments they need, he said.

"They're bringing in supplies from far away to meet local demands, so this is a problem [regional oxygen shortages] that has just compounded," Craig said.

As a result, the industry is recruiting drivers as fast as possible, he said. Many drivers quit during the early days of the pandemic, and weeks of training are required.

United Launch Alliance, which plans to launch NASA's Landsat 9 mission, said the Sept. 23 launch date is uncertain because of the ongoing regional shortages.

The satellite is designed largely to enhance agriculture and forestry management by providing data on soil moisture and woodland health.

ULA confirmed that the "supply chain delivery shortage is due to the increased demand for medical liquid oxygen for COVID patients."

After Ida’s fury, infrastructure key in preventing misery

By LISA RATHKE and MICHAEL R. SISAK

September 5, 2021

In a satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies, homes along Boessel Ave., in Manville, N.J. are surrounded by floodwaters Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, after remnants of Hurricane Ida swept through the area (Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies via AP)

Deadly flooding delivered to the Northeast by the torrential rains of what remained of Hurricane Ida has brought a new urgency and a fresh look to how roads, sewers, bridges and other infrastructure must be improved to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again.

The world is changing and “our whole mindset, the playbook that we use,” must change too, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday as he toured Mullica Hills, New Jersey, where a 150-mph (241 kph) tornado splintered homes. “We have got to leap forward and get out ahead of this.”

The devastation exposed flaws in preparation plans even after New Jersey and New York spent billions of dollars to prevent a reoccurrence of Superstorm Sandy’s destruction in 2012, with much spent to protect coastal communities.

“Flash floods are now coming. It’s not waves off the ocean or the sound,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said soon after last week’s storm swept through.

Hochul and Murphy, both Democrats, agreed that the increasing frequency and intensity of storms demand a new approach that factors in flash floods.

The storm dumped so much rain so fast that a record 3 inches (7.5 centimeters) fell in an hour in New York Wednesday, overwhelming drainage systems. Some lives were lost when water flooded basement apartments, subway stations and vehicles. At least 50 people died in five northeastern states.

“I don’t think many people could have predicted the severity of the loss of life and damage done by the flash rains,” said Dr. Irwin Redlener, founding director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University. “People drowning in their basement apartments, in cars and so on is not something we typically would ever see in New York.”

Hochul promised new answers to pressing questions, like whether warnings were clear enough and communications with the weather service were flawed as well as if subways needed a faster shutdown.

The effects of climate change are “happening right now,” Hochul said. “It is not a future threat.”

Warnings of worsening storm damage are not new.

In August 2011, the aftermath of Hurricane Irene killed six in Vermont, left thousands homeless, and damaged or destroyed over 200 bridges and 500 miles of highway. Of the state’s 251 towns, 225 had infrastructure damage. Thirteen communities were severed from the outside world after flooding washed out roads, electricity and telephone communication. National Guard helicopters ferried supplies to stranded residents for days.

More than half a billion dollars was spent by the state and federal governments, and in donations by private individuals, to help Vermont recover.

To weaken effects of future storms, New York and other areas can learn from other cities like Singapore, Copenhagen and Amsterdam, where solutions included turning asphalt parking lots and schoolyards into spaces that can retain water, said Amy Chester, managing director for the nonprofit Rebuild by Design.

“Climate change is expensive. We’re going to have to spend money on it and every single dollar we spend in any type of infrastructure needs to take into consideration the future,” she said.

Redlener, the disaster preparedness expert, said New York City and other communities need to rethink warning systems and consider reengineering drainage, electrical and storm warning systems.

He noted that the city’s aging subway system has long been relied upon to absorb excess water from heavy rains, but that was before record rainfalls set off unprecedented flooding.

“That can’t work because there’s people in the subways and we have to think about their safety also,” he said.

And he said the future of New York City’s basement apartments, which could number in the thousands, must be reconsidered.

“What are we going to do for them now and what are we gonna do for people in the future? Are we going to even permit people legally to live in basement apartments, and if not, do we have the capacity and the resources to have other alternatives? I don’t know that we do,” he said.

The system for warning people in areas threatened must be rethought and plans should be in place for what people should do and where they should go, he said.

Linda Shi, an assistant professor in the department of city and regional planning at Cornell University, said there are limits to what infrastructure improvements such as larger storm pipes and road elevation can bring.

She said most planners agree the strategies only buy time.

If the worsening storm trends continue, she said, ultimately there will be increased conversations about “managed retreat.”

“If you want to make space for water, that means making space for water by moving people out of those places,” Shi said.

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Associated Press reporters Larry Neumeister in New York City, Wayne Parry in Piscataway, New Jersey, and Michael Hill in Albany, New York, contributed to this story.