The Space Sun Shield

• Mar. 6 by Stacey Spencer (3)

Technology has taken another leap forward for helping the environment. It has been stated that scientists claim they can fight global warming using mirrors.

SUN SHIELD

Astronomer Dr. Roger Angel has devised a ‘Space Sun Shield Project.’ This gun like canon technology would be 100 times more powerful than your average, conventional weapon. It would then fire trillions of two-foot lenses into space, using electromagnetic forces. This would then deflect the suns rays, forming a 100,000 square mile sun shade.

Patterns will be placed on the lenses causing them to change the ray’s direction. This will lessen the amount of harmful rays hitting the Earth’s atmosphere.

PROCESS

The project is looking to be launched within 20- 30 years. It holds an estimation of $350 trillion (£244 trillion). NASA secured funding for a pilot project. British Inventor Tod Todeschini, built a smaller version of the gun for the project.

OTHER VOICES

Head of Centre for Birmingham Environment group ‘Centre of the Earth,’ Andrew Simons, states he is “personally worried.” He feels that “a project of that nature would possibly go wrong.” Also that there is already a lot of debris in space, and personally does not “think it will work.”

Science Co-ordinator for ‘Matthew Boulton Community Primary School’ in Birmingham, Barrie Driver, stated “it could possibly work up to a point.” Also that the project would be “very expensive”, and it would only be a “short term solution.”

They both suggested alternative methods such as solar energy and panels, locking up CO2 in the ground, wind and wave energy.

FUTURE PROMISE

If Dr. Angel’s Space Sun Shield is victorious, the mirrors look to last up to 50 years before replacing.

This could mean much change for the Environment.