The UK's first satellite launch

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Technology, Science

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 2 February 2023

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The UK's first satellite launch faced several delays in 2022, but Virgin Orbit's Cosmic Girl is prepped for imminent take off. BBC science correspondent Jonathan Amos has been following the activity in Newquay and, alongside Melissa Thorpe head of Spaceport Cornwall, describes the potential this launch has to promote and bolster the UK's space industry. Is laziness a particularly human trait? Apparently not according to Dr Daniella Rabaiotti from the Zoological Society of London. Her research shows many animals engage in behaviour akin to laziness even within groups where others might be very active. There’s evidence for this from animals as diverse as wolves, frogs and pheasants. Dani says it’s a factor worth considering in animal behaviour studies, simply are we biased towards the more active and outgoing animals as they are the ones we tend to see? Victoria Gill speaks to the founder and CEO of Nature Metrics Dr Cat Bruce and Katie Critchlow about the tools they use to help companies measure biodiversity at their worksites. From taking water or soil samples it’s possible to detect the DNA of a multitude of organisms from large animals down to microbes. The technique should help map the biodiversity of a given area and inform decisions on development and conservation. BBC Inside Science is produced in collaboration with the Open University

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to introduce myself.
0:03.7	My name's Stevie Middleton and I'm a BBC Commissioner for a load of sport podcasts.
0:08.4	I'm lucky to do that at the BBC because I get to work with a leading journalist, experienced
0:12.2	pundits and the biggest sport stars.
0:14.3	Together we bring you untold stories and fascinating insights straight from the players'
0:18.5	mouths.
0:19.5	But the best thing about doing this at the BBC is our unique access to the sport world.
0:25.0	What that means is that we can bring you podcasts that create a real connection to
0:28.8	dedicated sports fans across the UK.
0:31.4	So if you like this podcast, head over to BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more.
0:35.8	This podcast first aired on the 5th of January.
0:39.4	Hello and welcome to your first week of Inside Science from 2023, coming up.
0:45.5	We'll be looking at this year in rockets, including the UK's first home-launched satellite.
0:51.5	In this, the pit of the year when one doesn't want to leave the sofa, I'll be looking
0:55.8	to the animal kingdom and asking if laziness is a natural state of being.
1:01.2	And when animals do move, how do you know where they've been?
1:04.9	We'll hear about some crime scene-worthy tech that could help protect biodiversity.
1:09.0	But let's start with a bang, hopefully.
1:13.4	The UK's first satellite launch was set to blast off in September 2022, then it got
1:18.7	bumped to December, then delayed again until after Christmas.
1:22.4	So maybe 4th times a charm for Virgin Orbit's cosmic girl, a repurposed Virgin Atlantic Boeing
1:29.0	747, which is preparing for take-off this January from spaceport Cornwall in Newcastle.
	...

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