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Moving mountains

By Guest PostJanuary 29, 2014Environment, Science3d modeling, andes mountains, Argentina, chilean border, claudio berti, debris, environmental impacts, erika schreiber, geologic consulting company, geological feature, google earth, icy landscape, lehigh university, metals, michael o neal, mining companies, moving mountains, renato kane, rock glacier, rock glacier dynamics, san juan province, university of delaware

Research in the Andes examines rock glacier dynamics for mining industry

When it comes to mining for copper and gold, prospectors will move mountains to make it happen. As in, physically dig up the rock, extract the precious metals and move the debris elsewhere.

In the chilly high altitudes of the Andes Mountains, however, what may look like part of a mountain can in fact be a huge, frozen block of rock fragments and ice. When some of that ice melts in the spring, these so-called “rock glaciers” become a valuable source of water for local populations. (more…)

Newfangled Space-Propulsion Technology Could Help Clean up Earth Orbit

Some of the most valuable “real estate” for humans isn’t on Earth at all but rather above the planet’s atmosphere, where all manner of human-made objects orbit. The problem is that those orbits are too crowded with dead satellites and debris, making new launches riskier.

Robert Winglee has spent years developing a magnetized ion plasma system to propel a spacecraft at ultra-high speeds, making it possible to travel to Mars and return to Earth in as little time as 90 days. The problem is that cost and other issues have dampened the desire to send astronauts to Mars or any other planet. (more…)

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Moving mountains

Newfangled Space-Propulsion Technology Could Help Clean up Earth Orbit