Space station may be abandoned
The International Space Station may soon be left empty-permanently. The craft has a faulty oxygen generator, and the crew have so far been unable to repair it. They are set to leave the station by the end of October, and will not be replaced by new astronauts if the system is not running properly by then. The Russian-built generator shut down inexplicably on September 8. Officials stress that the crew are not in danger, as they have enough reserve oxygen supplies in tanks to last them for 140 days. But if they still have not fixed the problem by the time they leave officials say they may not restaff the station. And the longer it is left unmanned, the harder it will be to send people back, and the world’s most important international space effort may be left to crumble.
-Zoe Cormier
Source: Nature
Sonar killing giant squid
Scientists believe that loud, low-frequency sounds made by oil companies charting the sea bed may be killing one of the world’s most elusive creatures, the giant squid. Not simply a matter of fiction, giant squids do exist, but nobody has ever seen one alive. The only animals that scientists ever see are dead ones that wash up on beaches. Normally about one a year is found on the shores of Spain, but in 2001 five were found, and then another four in 2003. Autopsies revealed no external injuries, but all the squid had suffered intense damage to their internal organs. Scientists already fear that high-intensity sonar is killing marine mammals, and now it seems that this creature may also dwindle before we ever get a chance to study it.
-Z.C.
Source: New Scientist
