Risks to Ukraine's nuclear power plants, and other stories
Welcome to Ramin’s Space, the newsletter from WIRED space writer Ramin Skibba. You can read more about the newsletter here. If you like it, please consider subscribing and sharing this post. Just wanted to say thank you to my new subscribers, too.
Risks to Ukraine’s Nuclear Power Plants are Small—but Not Zero
Russian forces captured Chernobyl and reportedly detained workers there, while radiation readings rose, possibly from heavy military machinery stirring up contaminated soil. That’s actually just the beginning of Ukraine’s nuclear power plant risks, and if a stray missile hit a reactor or if power gets knocked out, the problems could get worse. It’s a frightening situation Ukrainians are dealing with.
Space Force Is Still Finding Its Way
Both the real Space Force and the Steve Carell-led agency on Netflix’s Space Force show are experiencing identity crises. What’s the Space Force really for, and how do you make space safe for everyone while advancing US national interests vis-à-vis China’s and Russia’s? The new season of the show offers some clues. This is my first story for WIRED’s Culture desk.
Astronomers Want to Save Dark Skies from Satellite Swarms
On the same day SpaceX launched 49 Starlink internet relay satellites, the International Astronomical Union launched a new institution to save the night sky from the brightness and radio-frequency interference of satellite constellations. With the prospect of tens of thousands of reflective satellites in orbit and the night sky being irrevocably changed, astronomers are understandably frustrated.
The James Webb Space Telescope Is in Position. Now’s It’s Booting Up
The JWST, NASA’s successor to the Hubble and Spitzer telescopes, has successfully unfolded and traveled to its special spot a million miles away, where all its systems and instruments are being set up and tested. If all goes well, starting in June, astronomers will start using its cameras to snap space photos for science.
How to Deal With Rocket Boosters and Other Giant Space Garbage
In a couple days, an errant upper-stage rocket booster, possibly left over from China’s Chang’e 5T-1 lunar mission, will crash into the moon. It’s a sign of a growing space junk problem, from low Earth orbit to the moon, including hundreds or even thousands of derelict rockets. Scientists and companies are working on solutions, but for now, big space debris will remain a threat.
In other writing…
The mysteries of firefly synchrony
Is there a pattern to how groups of fireflies fly en masse and light up in the night? And how do they do it in the absence of a leader? I love this beautifully written piece in Harper’s magazine by Vanessa Gregory about the collective behavior of fireflies and other wildlife.
The slippery science of skeleton
Skeleton looks like the scariest Winter Olympic sport. It involves hurtling face-first 80 miles per hour down a frozen chute on a brakeless sled. Athletes endure four to five G-forces of pressure around turns, and it rattles their brains so much that they can only do a few runs per day. Interesting New York Times story by Sabrina Imbler.
Sewage sampling already tracks COVID. What else can it find?
Is there anything you can’t learn from the sewer? It turns out that medical scientists can track new variants through wastewater sampling, and they could use it to spot unknown pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, too. This is a fascinating (and slightly gross) story by my WIRED colleague Maryn McKenna.
We almost forgot about the moon trees
In 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa brought a bag of tree seeds — of sycamores, redwoods, pines, firs, and sweetgums — on his journey around the moon, and some were subsequently planted across the US. In this piece in The Atlantic, Marina Koren checks on these nearly forgotten trees to see how they’re faring today.
The search for lost slave ships led this diver on an extraordinary journey
I enjoyed this National Geographic essay by Tara Roberts about maritime archaeologists exploring the wreckage of slave ships and probing history as well. (And it comes with excellent photos too.)
What I’m reading: A Stranger’s Mirror, a book of poems by Marylin Hacker. I’m also reading Palm Springs Noir, a book of short stories. I’m biased, since an old friend of mine, Rob Bowman, contributed to the book, but I recommend it.
Looking back: One year ago, I wrote this cover story for Science News magazine, highlighting the work of people trying to forecast solar storms. My piece won the San Diego Press Club award for the best feature story.
More about me: I’m the space writer at WIRED magazine, and I’m based in San Diego. I used to be a freelance writer and journalist, and before that, an astrophysicist. You can find me at my website, raminskibba.net, and on Twitter @raminskibba. I’m also former president of the San Diego Science Writers Association (SANDSWA) and on the board of the National Association of Science Writers (NASW), though the opinions I express are mine alone. If someone has forwarded this email to you, you’re welcome to subscribe too.