BBC Technology — The
main camera on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has shut down after an
electrical failure, Nasa has said. Astronomers are calling the
malfunction of the Advanced Camera for Surveys a “great loss” as it has
taken the clearest pictures yet of the Universe. US space agency
engineers said only one-third of the camera’s functions were likely to
be restored. Hubble is due to receive a new camera during a planned
servicing mission by space shuttle in 2008. … The Advanced Camera for
Surveys has been the most in-demand instrument on the observatory since
its installation in 2002. The ACS actually consists of three
sub-cameras that detect and filter light from the ultraviolet to the
near infrared. Astronomers can continue to use Hubble’s other
instruments - which include the Field Planetary Camera-2 and the Near
Infrared Camera Multi-Object Spectrograph - but the loss of its primary
camera is being mourned by the scientific community. “Science will
continue, but it’s a great loss, no doubt,” said Mario Livio at the
Space Telescope Science Institute which manages Hubble. “It’s a great
loss because this was a fantastic camera that just produced incredible
science.” … The servicing mission to be conducted by astronauts on
the Discovery shuttle should launch in September of 2008. In addition
to the Wide Field Camera-3, the crew will fit the Cosmic Origins
Spectrograph (COS). Together, the new instruments will improve
significantly Hubble’s ability to probe distant, faint objects in the
early Universe. New batteries and gyroscopes will maintain the
telescope’s power and pointing systems. The servicing mission should
extend Hubble’s orbital lifetime to at least 2013, by which time Nasa
will be getting close to launching a successor: the James Webb Space
Telescope. (01/31/07)
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BBC Environment — A
report on the effects of climate change in Australia paints an alarming
picture of life in the city of Sydney. It warns that if residents do
not cut water consumption by more than 50% over the next 20 years, the
city will become unsustainable. The Commonwealth Scientific and
Industrial Research Organisation report also warns that temperatures
could rise 5C above the predicted global average. This would leave the
city facing an almost permanent state of drought. With its spectacular
harbour and beautiful suburban beaches, Sydney is often portrayed as
one of the most desirable cities to live in. But this report paints a
disturbing picture of how life here could be completely transformed by
the year 2070, if climate change goes unchecked. It warns of severe
droughts nine out of every 10 years, a dramatic rise in the number of
bush fires, and freak storm surges which could devastate the coastline.
Scientists predict that rainfall will fall by 40% by 2070, not only
creating a massive water crisis, but producing double the number of
bush fires. Heat-related deaths would soar from a current average of
176 a year to 1,300. Sydney would come to resemble the harsh, dry and
inhospitable conditions of remote inland towns. The government of New
South Wales, which commissioned the report, has been alarmed by its
findings. The state premier called it a doomsday scenario, but one
which the city and country had to confront. Along with America,
Australia has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, the only two major
industrialised nations to do so. (01/31/07)
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BBC Environment –
Reintroducing wild wolves to the Scottish Highlands would help the
local ecosystem, a study suggests. Wolves, which were hunted to
extinction in Scotland in the late 1700s, would help control the
numbers of red deer, the team from the UK and Norway said. This would
aid the re-establishment of plants and birds - currently hampered by
the deer population, they write in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
But farmers say more livestock would be killed if wolves are
reintroduced. The researchers’ findings used a predator/prey model to
assess the probable consequences on the Highland’s red deer population.
“There has been an ongoing debate about the possibility of
reintroducing wolves to Scotland for some time,” said co-author Tim
Coulson, from Imperial College London. “So we thought that we would
start the ball rolling by looking to see, using mathematical modelling
approaches, what the possible impact of reintroducing wolves into
Scotland would have on the red deer population.” The researchers found
that the red deer population was close to reaching the maximum capacity
that the ecosystem could support, and that costly culls were not
proving to be economically effective. Since Scotland’s wild wolf
population died out, the UK’s largest wild land animal has not had any
natural predators to help control its numbers. “For example, many sheep
farmers argue for fewer deer because they are concerned the deer
compete with sheep for grazing,” Dr Coulson told BBC News. “Many of the
conservation organisations, especially those trying to reforest areas,
also believe their numbers should be reduced. Attempts to get forests
to come back are going to be hindered by the fact that there are too
many deer, which will munch away merrily on any young trees.” Other
groups, Dr Coulson added, were concerned that excessive deer numbers
were having an impact on bird species, such as the capercaillie. The
study found that the wolves would prey on the deer and would help
rebalance the ecology, giving other tree and bird species a chance to
establish themselves. (01/31/07)
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