With the recent launch of European Space Agency’s Cryosat-2 spacecraft, set to gauge the rates of change of sea and land ice in the Antarctic and the Arctic regions, Merchant sees an opportunity to pique the public's interest in climate science:
Obviously, as it stands, this satellite is not technically going to save the world. But with a little PR savvy, I say it could. Here’s my thinking: Yes, the data is going to be invaluable to scientists. That’s why they tried to deploy the first Cryosat back in 2005, only to see it destroyed in a failed launch. But cutting edge tech like this can also be used to help reach another badly needed aim—raising the profile for hard climate science in general.
In other words, maybe better, sexier, higher-profile tech like Cryosat help get some folks to actually give a crap about global warming.
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Will Cryosat-2's ice mission help drum up interest in climate change among a robot-loving public? Read more and watch a video of Cyosat-2 on
Motherboard.
Photo courtesy of ESA\n
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