Looking to the stars
Protecting the Earth from future risks and current space junk
Often when we think of things beyond the boundaries of our atmosphere they take on a removed perspective, not unlike a science fiction novel, but the work of researchers focused on space science is very much real life, and has significant consequences for our lives here on Earth. This includes learning more about what happens to the thousands of satellites that orbit our planet, providing crucial services, once they reach the end of their operational life? EGU's Asmae Ourkiya discovered more about the graveyards of these satellites this month over on the EGUblogs. But it's not just artificial objects that pose a threat, we also learned about the HERA mission, recently launched to discover the effects of the DART mission to the Didymos system, an attempt to redirect a potentially extinction sized asteroid.
This month we also learned about the Up-goer Five Challenge from Marina Dütsch and Lukas Brenner, an exercise in communicating science using only the 1000 most common words in the English language; thus saying 'up-goer' instead of 'rocket'! As Marina and Lukas explain, "The aim of the challenge is to motivate participants to simplify the way they describe their research to a very basic level. It is not easy – for example, how do you explain atmospheric chemistry without using jargon? But with persistence, creativity, and a good portion of humor, scientists will learn to view their research from a new angle and find creative ways to communicate the essence of what they do."
This month brought us back to Earth with a look at fieldwork experiences, including Ingrid Anell's examination of the impact of disrupted bathroom breaks on students' ability to learn and the special EGUwebinar on the barriers to fieldwork experienced by LGBTQIA+ researchers, the second in our Uneven Ground series.
We also got to meet EGU's Editorial Manager Eduardo Queiroz Alves, as he shared the history of his journey to EGU, and explained a bit more about the work of an Editorial Manager for an open access not for profit organisation like EGU.
The EGU25 Call for Abstracts is open, so don't forget to submit your abstract by 13:00 CET 15 January 2025 and why not sign up to be an EGU25 Mentor by 17 March 2025. If you are looking for financial assistance due to caregiving responsibilities, disability, career status or another barrier, apply for the new EDI participation support by 26 February 2025. Want to attend the General Assembly and like science communication? Why not apply to be an EGU25 Press Assistant, attend the meeting and get paid to write about it!
