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BBC Inside Science

Cassini’s death, scrapping diesel, weather balloon, satellites monitoring volcanos

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Science

4.61.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 April 2017

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Cassini-Huygens mission has been monumental for science. For thirteen years the probe has gathered data on Saturn, revealing more about the gas giant than we have ever known before. But now, Cassini is running out of fuel. Adam Rutherford talks to Professor Michele Dougherty of Imperial College about the plans for Cassini's spectacular end, which will be to burn up in Saturn's atmosphere later this year. The descent begins this week and Cassini will collect exciting new data until the end.

Next week, Theresa May will unveil her plans to kerb air pollution and it is believed that some diesel drivers could be paid up to £2,000 to trade in their vehicles. Diesel cars emit nitrogen oxides - a pollutant that has been linked to nearly 12,000 UK deaths in 2013. This is the second highest in Europe after Italy. However, this isn't the first scrappage scheme to be brought in. Philippa Oldham from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Adam discuss the merits and pitfalls of an initiative like this.

Thousands of balloons are launched every day to measure temperature, pressure and humidity of the air. Kerri Nicoll from the University of Reading wants to add cheap, volcanic ash sensors to these balloons which are going up anyway. This could vastly improve the limited information we currently have on volcanic eruptions, allowing us to quickly see rises in ash particles and therefore improve ash cloud forecasting.

Many of the world's volcanoes aren't monitored but a new technology from the University of Leeds should mean that scientists can keep track of all 1,500 them by the end of the year. The technology involves monitoring changes in ground deformation from satellites in space, which will give clues as to whether a volcano is about to erupt. For those living near unmonitored volcanoes, this could provide an early warning system and save their lives.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Choosing what to watch night after night the flicking through the endless

0:06.8

searching is a nightmare we want to help you on our brand new podcast off the

0:11.8

telly we share what we've been watching

0:14.0

Fladiated.

0:16.0

Load to games, loads of fun, loads of screaming.

0:19.0

Lovely. Off the telly with me Joanna Paige.

0:21.0

And me, Natalie Cassidy, so your evenings can be a little less

0:25.0

searching and a lot more auction listen on BBC sounds this is the

0:30.8

BBC. Hello you this is the podcast of Inside Science from BBC Radio 4,

0:36.0

first broadcast on the 20th of April 2017.

0:40.0

I'm Adam Rutherford.

0:41.0

You sent in loads of feedback on last week's program about consumer genetic

0:45.0

tests and we've got some of that at the end today, but do keep sending them in, BBC

0:49.2

Inside Science at BBC.co. UK.

0:52.4

Seven years ago today, the Icelandic volcano. at BBC. Co. a look at how we survey for dust and volcanic matter that can close the skies, and we look at

1:05.2

new methods to monitor volcanoes from the skies.

1:08.9

Pollution down on the ground too, we scrutinize new government plans to curb diesel emissions on the roads and we hear

1:14.4

your stories about getting your DNA analyzed for possible medical conditions.

1:18.6

But first tomorrow begins one of the great interplanatory eulogies.

1:23.4

The spaceship Cassini has reached the end of its life

1:26.4

and enters the last phase of its hugely successful 13-year mission

1:30.7

to boldly study Saturn and its 50 odd moons.

...

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