Licence to operate a space object

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 9 January 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Since humans have been on earth, the night sky has caused many to gaze upwards, open-mouthed in astonishment. Beyond its beauty, it has facilitated both the development and advancement of human and animal life on Earth. Celestial navigation guided humans across the seas, forming new trade routes and civilisations. The constellations also signalled when winter or summer was approaching so people would know when to sow their crops. But for decades, the night sky has been changing dramatically. Thousands of satellites now blink in amongst the stars and planets, doubling in number in the past few years largely due to the existence of companies like SpaceX. As objects continue to be launched into space with sparse environmental regulations in place, astro-photographer Monika Deviat asks: what do we stand to lose?

Transcript

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0:00.0	Come with me to a special place. A haven, an oasis of calm. Turn off your lights, step outside, and look up.
0:13.4	Tonight I'm doing what humans have done since we first walk the planet. Gaze up in wonder at the vast celestial darkness that is the sky at night.
0:24.1	It's the place I am most at peace, standing under a star-filled night sky.
0:30.3	There's nothing quite like it.
0:42.3	I am driving on the TransCanada Highway through Banff National Park. I'm heading to Bow Lake, which is on the Icefields Parkway, and that's one of the most beautiful drives in the world.
0:49.3	Bow Lake is about two and a half hours from Calgary. That's the closest major city to it.
0:55.6	I'm driving in the darkness.
0:58.0	It's about 9.45 p.m.
1:02.9	I am driving there to do some night photography.
1:05.8	I'm hoping to catch Orion rising above the mountains that are surrounding the lake.
1:14.2	Welcome to the documentary on the BBC World Service.
1:18.9	My name is Monica Deviet and I'm an astro photographer,
1:22.8	someone who takes pictures of space.
1:29.3	I'm going to get my gear out from the trunk of my car.
1:35.3	Getting my tripod and my backpack full of gear.
1:41.3	I have some winter rubber boots that are really good for this location because I can step into water and they keep my feet warm.
1:49.0	I'm walking along the shoreline now, looking for a good spot to set up.
2:08.6	Tonight I brought some hot tea some cookies i have a first aid kit i have an in-reach satellite device so just in case anything happens i can call out or someone can track me we are in an area with no
2:14.5	cell reception so i can't use my phone i have my bear spray with me. There are still bears around. We've actually had reports of some
2:22.9	near Banff in Canmore. There's nobody else here tonight, just me. This is actually how I prefer
2:33.7	it. There won't how I prefer it.
2:36.0	There won't be any other lights.
	...

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