Daily Archives: April 6, 2021

In this era of climate crisis, space mining is a topic of increasing relevance. The need for a net-zero carbon economy requires a surge in the supply of non-renewable natural resources such as battery metals. This forms the background to a new space race involving nations and the private sector.

Read more: How business is taking the space race to new frontiers

Canada is a space-faring nation, a world leader in mining and a major player in the global carbon economy. Its therefore well-positioned to actively participate in the emerging space resources domain.

But the issues arising in this sphere are bigger than Canada, since they involve the future of mankind on Earth and in space.

On Earth, attempts to address global warming include switching to a net-zero carbon economy through mass rollouts of electric vehicle fleets and investments in large-scale renewable generation infrastructure. Doing this successfully would require vast quantities of battery metals (lithium, cobalt, nickel), critical minerals (copper) and rare Earth elements so much so that market analysts have warned of a potential metals supercycle. In a supercycle, demand wildly outstrips supply, relentlessly driving up prices.

For this reason, the mining industry is actively looking towards new frontiers in mining. These include the circular economy (recycling and enhanced mine waste management), deep sea mining and space mining. Space mining holds the potential for rich rewards, but also comes with robust challenges.

One of the most serious challenges is the lack of a cohesive regulatory framework for governing mining in outer space. While the 1967 Outer Space Treaty has been signed by all space-faring nations and is widely considered to be the constitutional document of outer space law, it has interpretation gaps.

Importantly, it determines that no nation can claim any celestial body (such as the moon) for itself but its silent on whether derivative resources can be owned.

Earth lawyers contemplating space-mining projects are likely to look at four aspects: security of tenure, the fiscal regime, the bankability of the project and the projects feasibility. Lets break them down.

In mining terms, security of tenure means having secure and stable rights throughout the mining cycle. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty is unclear on who would own any extracted resources, and interpretations vary.

So far, Luxembourg and the United States have enacted domestic legislation that favours the possibility of claiming extracted resources, thereby bringing security of tenure to space mining companies located in those jurisdictions.

This issue refers to the payment of taxes, royalties or the like. Here, the 1979 Moon Agreement comes into play. Only two space-faring countries are party to it: India and Australia.

Read more: Australia has long valued an outer space shared by all. Mining profits could change this

Theres disagreement on the role that the Moon Agreement should play in outer space law. Some argue that its not pertinent to non-party countries; others point to its language and suggest parallels with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Both instruments refer to the common heritage of mankind.

UNCLOS has set up an international regulatory body, the International Seabed Authority, to licence mining in the deep sea on a royalty payment basis. Royalties are then to be distributed equitably among all nations on Earth. Some argue for a similar system to apply to outer space.

The third issue, project bankability, concerns the capacity of the project to attract funding.

To a large degree this will be determined by the prior two issues: security of tenure and the applicable fiscal regime. This again demonstrates the need for agreement on a clear legal framework before rushing into action.

The last issue, has several facets. Technical feasibility is currently enjoying a lot of attention, with much research and development going into the advanced robotics and automated systems that would be needed for space mining operations.

Read more: Made in space: tangible reality or daydreaming?

Technological breakthroughs to date include the discovery of water crystals on the moon and on Mars, and the harnessing of 3D printing technology in space for manufacturing purposes. These make space mining more viable.

With the worlds two wealthiest people now both engaged in the space race Jeff Bezos with Blue Origin and Elon Musk with SpaceX we can expect rapid technological acceleration.

Economic feasibility means that space mining would have to make financial sense. The looming shortage in non-renewable natural resources coupled with technological advances and the mind-boggling mineral wealth present in even a single asteroid may well make it so.

Theres an additional reason why international agreement and co-operation in the outer space domain is crucial: the peaceful use of outer space, as required by the Outer Space Treaty.

In October 2020, eight countries signed a NASA-led initiative called the Artemis Accords. These included the United States, Canada, Australia and Luxembourg. Notably absent were Russia and China, who have since agreed to collaborate with each other on space initiatives.

Legal issues about the ownership of space resources must urgently be addressed to avoid space wars over natural resources between superpowers like the U.S., Russia and China. This includes the legal status of the Artemis Accords. Ideally, it should be done before space mining starts.

Finally, space mining raises certain ethical questions, such as whether the moon could be considered a legal person, if space mining would entail a new form of colonization and how the common good of mankind could best be served through mining in space.

Read more:
Space mining is not science fiction, and Canada could figure prominently - The Conversation CA

Books of My Life

Q and A with Stacey Boden, who we are pleased to announce is Rosslands new Library Director.

Many patrons will remember Stacey from her time as Interim Director just over a year ago. Stacey comes to us with an impressive resume of library - related experience, most recently at the Trail Public Library. Staceys volunteer contributions to Women Against Violence Against Women as well as the Downtown Eastside Womens Centre in Vancouver shaped her interest in a career in public service and honed her keen interest in the importance of providing welcoming, safe, community spaces. Stacey lives in Trail with her husband and two wonderful children and loves to read as much as possible. When not reading, Stacey enjoys camping and is learning to appreciate winter sports.

What is your favourite childhood book?

My favourite childhood book is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It is such a heart wrenching tale of loss, friendship, compassion, and the overall goodness of humanity. It is a great reminder that there is a huge capacity for good in each of us, plus the many beautiful editions and artwork that have graced the covers and pages over the years.

What book did you most enjoy in school?

The book I liked the most in school was Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. I was blown away by the alternate take on Jane Eyre from the perspective of Rochesters first wife and without giving too much away, its a short novel about colonization, relationships, and mental illness that Ill never forget.

Name one classic youre embarrassed to say youve never read.

In spite of being a long-time fantasy genre lover, I have never finished Lord of the Rings. I get about halfway through the first one and while Tolkien is the master of description, a person can only read about a forest for so long before it is easier to just be in one. Peter Jackson did such a phenomenal job with the films that I feel all right about this.

Name a book youve pretended to have read.

I never made it all the way through Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and skipped through the book for school. Ive tried a few times to get through the entire thing but the characters that fascinated me the most got the least amount of development and so I read other books like Wide Sargasso Sea to fill in those gaps and never quite made it back to Jane Eyre. I made sure to get the Cliff Notes for school projects and managed to pass any classes that covered it but havent actually read it. Ill keep trying!

What book do you read over and over?

I have completely lost count of the number of times I have read A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Theres nothing better for lightening a mood than the humour of Douglas Adams, closely followed by watching old episodes of Monty Pythons Flying Circus. The tongue in cheek exploration of humanitys highs and lows are such a fun read and who cant relate to Arthur trying to save the universe in his house coat equipped with a towel and a rag tag group of friends to help him along the way?

Name the last book that made you laugh.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle made me laugh, cry, and feel inspired. Her candid way of writing her latest memoir provides great insight into her life and her sense of humour shines through in every chapter. Theres a good reason why it was at the top of the bestseller list for most of 2020.

Name the last book that made you cry.

This has to be Refugee by Alan Gratz. Gratz takes historical happenstance and weaves it into a compelling and interesting young adult novel. It follows three children in three different time periods all connected through stories of being forced to leave their homes and endure harrowing journeys to safety. Refugee is so relevant for current events today and it was great to read it with my children and discuss the bigger picture issues that are raised.

Name one book everyone should read.

Everyone should absolutely read 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph. This short book dives into the Indian Act in a way that history hasnt always made clear and provides insights and offerings that we can all take to heart to create a better future for Canadians everywhere.

Name an author / book that changed your life.

Reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer changed the way I think about food and where it comes from, and is something Ive carried with me ever since.

(A great companion is The Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan). Foers investigative and biographical approach makes for a great read and the subject matter is so thought-provoking.

What are you reading now?

I have a few books on the go right now and they are all very good!

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice is a beautifully written, post-apocalyptic tale with a real undertone of heaviness as it deals with subjects of loss, survival and colonization. Its only a little over 200 pages so its a quick read and Im looking forward to the discussion that will follow in an Indigenous Authors Book Club I belong to. Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown is another book club read and Im enjoying that its written from two perspectives, a modern-day woman and a 1950s housewife who wrote recipes left behind for someone else in the house to find. The writing is fast-paced, and the story is so intriguing! I am curious to see how their lives intersect and what mysteries unfold!

RPL Announcements and Information

Annual General Meeting

The RPLA Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 14th at 7 p.m. via Zoom. To participate, email info@rossland.bclibrary.ca

If you are interested in becoming a Trustee, pick up an application form and information package at the front desk.

RPL Book Club

RPLs April Book Club meeting is at 7:00 PM on Thursday, April 29th, via Zoom, and features The Overstory by Richard Powers. The Overstory interweaves the lives and unique relationships between people and trees and was short-listed for the 2018 Man Booker Prize and won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. To participate, register at ravenreadsbookclub@gmail.com.

Kootenay Library Federation Book Club

The April KLF Book Club features Birds Eye View by Elinor Florence. This novel chronicles the life of a young woman from Saskatchewan who joins the air force during World War II and travels to England where she is trained as an aerial photographic interpreter. In June 2016, Birds Eye View was listed as a Canadian fiction bestseller in The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star. To register and obtain a copy of the book, email kootenaylibrariesprogramming@gmail.comThe meeting is also on April 29th but at 6:30 PM.

Art

Sue Deanes Hemlock now hangs behind the front desk. Please come in to view this beautiful painting.

Kobo

The library has one Kobo reader to loan. See front desk staff if you are interested.

Staff and Patron Recommendations

Are displayed at the front entrance. Librarian Sabine recommends the 2007 novel The Shack by Canadian author Wm. Paul Young. Originally self-published, this novel became an international best-seller and was made into a movie in 2017. The Shack, wrestles with the question: Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain? as a father struggles in the aftermath of the kidnapping and murder of his young daughter. According to the author, the shack is a metaphor for the places you get stuck, you get hurt, you get damaged ... the thing where shame or hurt is centered.

Former library student page Diego recommends bestseller Red Rising by Pierce Brown, a 2014 dystopian science fiction novel set on planet Mars of the future. Red Rising is the first of five books in the series by the same name.

Libby

You can easily access hundreds of magazines from your Libby app. On the main page click on Library, then Whats Available. You will find a description of books, audio and magazines. Click on Magazines and scroll through the list of titles.

Read the original post:
Here's what's happening at Rossland Public Library - Rossland Telegraph

It is dawn at Thacker Pass. The sun rises over the Santa Rosa Mountains, and light spears through the blue-green leaves of the sagebrush that spreads out in all directions.

A herd of mule deer orbits our camp. Each evening, they meander westwards along the south-facing hillside of the Montana Mountains, browsing and grazing on the way to their evening beds. And every morning, they come out of the canyon and make their way back east, to a small canyon where they will wait out the sun.

This morning, the deer are joyful. The younger individuals run back and forth, pronking at top speed. Half the herdthe elders, I assumegraze placidly while the youngsters tear across the hillside, first one direction, then another, spinning and leaping, chasing each other. There is no predator in sight and nothing has spooked them. They are simply happy, enjoying the springtime. They have made it through the hard hungry winter. The grass is green again. The temperatures are comfortable. The sun is shining, they are with their loved ones, and the does are pregnant. Another generation stirs at Thacker Pass.

The meadowlarks are singing. They flit from sagebrush to sagebrush, varying their songs, speaking to each other and to us. Their dawn chorus awakens me every morning. A new day is born. A new spring. New nests to build, and young to raise.

The first time I heard a meadowlark singing, I fell in love. No human voice can match their whistles and warbles, their trills and scales. They are songbirds. Their world revolves around music. Foraging, mating, travel, nest-building, all accompanied by song.

Thacker Pass has its own rhythms. The cycle of morning and night: birdsong and deer moving across hillside. The cycle of weather patterns: sagebrush drinking in ephemeral rain and snow, yellow flowers emerging from soil beneath sheltering stones. The cycle of seasons: the slow grind of winter, the long sigh of spring, the stuffy stillness of summer, the building anticipation of fall. The cycle of deep time; creeks carving their way through stone, plants migrating across land. This is the pulse of life itself.

For thousands of years, people have been part of these rhythms of this place, which is called Peehee-mm-huh, Rotten Moon, in the Paiute language. An elder named Eddie Smart who grew up on the Fort McDermitt Reservation tells us stories of the history of Peehee-mm-huh. Of the seasonal rounds. Digging wild onion and wild potato in the spring. Hunting deer in the summer. Gathering firewood and medicine in the fall. And hunkering down in the winter, like everyone else, to wait for the sun to return. Different from other creatures, but not separate. Part of the whole.

I wish I were here to simply enjoy the beauty of this place; to watch the deer at play and the taste of fresh trout seasoned with wild onion. But thats not why I am here. I am here, camped on this mountainside, as I have been off and on for nearly three months, because this entire placethe pronking deer, the singing meadowlarks, their nests among the sagebrush, the yellow flowers under the boulders, the Paiute medicines, the yellow morning light on fresh spring sage, the green grass of spring emerging from the soil, all of themare under threat.

A Canadian mining company called Lithium Americas plans to turn this place into a vast open-pit lithium mine and chemical processing facility. Where once was a wild expanse of habit alive with birdsong, they plan to did a two-square mile pit 400-feet deep into the hillside. Where rabbits run and coyotes howl, they plan to bulldoze and build a sulfuric acid plant. Where now we hear the wind and the see the herd of deer, they plan heavy trucks at all hours. What was once wild, destroyed. Explosives. Bulldozers. Poisoned water. Strip mining and infrastructure, new power lines and toxic tailings waste. Razor-wire fences and 24-hour spotlights.

What kind of sick mind can imagine destroying this dance? Not just taking one deers life to feed your family, but laying waste to an entire mountainside?

Jack D. Forbes, a Renape-Lenape scholar and native community organizer, says that the mindset behind the industrial destruction that threatens Thacker Pass is not simple greed. He uses the term wetiko disease to describe a person who is mentally ill or insane, the carrier of a terribly contagious psychological disease based on an endless drive to consume. This mindset is not rare in our culture. Forbes writes that wetiko behavior and wetiko goals are regarded as the very fabric of European evolution, and drove European colonization which spread the wetiko mindset worldwide. He contrasts this with sanity or healthy normality, which involves a respect for other forms of life and other individuals.

I know of no better way to describe what threatens this place, and by extension, our entire world: people driven mad by an ideology of consumption and progress, and an economy and political system that rewards them. Why else would you destroy the planet?

Tears have been coming easily lately. Ill be walking along, or reading, or having a conversation, and suddenly Im crying. My heart lurches in my chest. I start to tremble. Its because of this place. Its because I am in love with Thacker Pass, with Peehee-mm-huh, with the deer and the antelope and the meadowlarks and the golden eagles and the pair of red-tailed hawks nesting on the cliff behind camp. And I dont know if I can stop the destruction.

Fighting a project like this is not easy. Its exhausting. I miss my fiance. I miss my home. I am tired from day after day of organizing, writing, photography, interviews, strategizing, planning. I havent been clean in a week. But I keep going, because that is what you do when youre in love. You dont abandon your loved ones.

I am asking you to become the person that Thacker Pass needs, the person that the world needs: the warrior-poet, the water protector, the inspiring leader.

There is a hard thing about falling in love. Once it happens, you are accountable to your beloved. You are responsible. Love has a way of helping us to surpass ourselves, to learn and grow and become better people. And so Im here at Thacker Pass. I need your help. This place needs your help. We cant do this alone. This is an invitation to those of you who are sitting on the sidelines. Come to Thacker Pass. Join us. Be a voice and body and mind standing against the destruction. Not just for a day. Commit to this fight (and the next, and the next).

Stand with me at Thacker Pass, with meadowlark song and the sweet scent of sage in the air, beneath the circling Golden Eagles. Stand up and say: No. You will not destroy this place.

If you are interested in joining us, visit our websiteto learn more about getting involved. And speak out on this issue. We cant save the planet by destroying it. Transitioning away from fossil fuels and fixing humanitys broken relationship with the planet will require a more critical approach.

Max Wilbert is an organizer, writer, and wilderness guide. He has been part of grassroots political work for nearly 20 years. His second book,Bright Green Lies: How The Environmental Movement Lost Its Way and What We Can Do About It, co-authored with Derrick Jensen and Lierre Keith, has recently been released.

The opinions expressed above are not necessarily those of the Sierra Nevada Ally. Our newsroom remains entirely independent of our opinion page. Published opinions further public conversation to fulfill our civic responsibility to challenge authority, act independently of corporate or political influence, and invite dissent.

Continue reading here:
Dispatches from Thacker Pass - The Song of The Meadowlark. - The Sierra Nevada Ally

Architecture on Mars: Projects for Life on the Red Planet

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February 2021 has been a historical month for Mars exploration. While humans have been exploring the red planet for well over 50 years, first landing on its surface in 1971 and then launching the first successful rover in 1997, this year has seen several firsts, namely the first time that three countries (China, United States, and the UAE) have launched three simultaneous probes.

While each expedition has different objectives, they will add to the database of information available through terrain analysis, sample collection, and other diverse research methods. Along with shedding light on the planet's many unknowns, this recent missions aim to pave the way for manned spacecraft to land on Mars, a plan that Elon Musk predicts will come to fruition in 2022.

With 3D printers, automated systems, and cutting-edge building technology, some architects have started exploring the various methods that could facilitate human colonization beyond the planet Earth.

Even NASA has launched competitions such as the 3D Printed Habitat Challenge, the likes of which have played a fundamental role in exploring news technologies and methods in space exploration.

In this article, we highlight 14 project proposals--ordered chronologically-- that demonstratethe ever-growing possibility of human life on Mars.

German architectural firm ZA Architects, as a part of the Mars Colonization Project, designed an underground network of caverns for human inhabitation on the planet. By using robotic technology, the firm proposes forming large caverns in the planet's basaltic rock surface to house a basalt processing plant as well as an artificial underground glacier that would supply oxygen and water to the inhabitants.

The ICE House project was the winner or NASA's 3D Printed Habitat Challenge. The basis of the contest was to use native Martian materials, 3D printing, and SEArch and Clouds AO technology to create an ice dwelling that would protect its inhabitants from radiation. By channeling ice's ability to filter and deflect the sun's rays, ICE HOUSE prioritizes life on Mars' surface, making it a stand-out among projects that overwhelmingly opt to build underground.

Team Gamma's project won 2nd place in the 3D Printed Habitat Challenge." The design uses a semi-automated regolith fabrication system (RAM) to create a protective shield around an inflatable modular structure. The layout includes a free form deployment that yields surprising results.

LavaHive's project took home 3rd place in the 3D Printed Habitat Challenge. The design consists of a modular, 3D printed dwelling manufactured using a cutting-edge building technique called "lava casting," in which materials from space vessels are recycled and reused. The project is centered on incorporating discarded materials into new, inhabitable structures.

After presenting their project for living on the Moon, Foster & Partners followed it up with a design for a modular home built for life on Mars, which they exhibited during a contest held by NASA. The design, aptly named Mars Habitat, consists of a settlement built by pre-programmed and semi-autonomous robots. 3D printing would render robust living quarters from native Martian rocks that could house up to 4 inhabitants. The project was among the 30 finalists in the competition.

Spanish architect Alberto Villanueva, from the IDEA Architecture Office, proposes combining native Martian materials with mycelium and fungus, known for its strong structural capacity and ability to withstand extreme climates, to create a small, protective atmospheric layer to make it more hospitable to human life. He also advocates for the use of bioluminescent bacteria as a source of light on the planet.

Created by a team of engineers, scientists, and designers from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center in collaboration with BIG architectural office, this project simulates Martian conditions right here on Earth, facilitating research and testing of different building strategies to best withstand Mars' heat and radiation. The project, aptly named Mars Science City, was built using 3D printing techniques and sand from the Emirati desert.

Architects Fatima Olivieri, Efrie Friedlander, and Rolando Lopez teamed up with the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), NASA, and the Teaching and Learning Research Institute (TLRI) to create a virtual city on Mars, simulating a self-sufficient habitat able to accommodate 100 people. The architects hope to receive financing for the construction of a life-size model of the city on Earth before eventually building the real thing on Mars.

The Zopherus Project, designed by Trey Lane, Corey Guidry, Tyler McKee, Mark Hendel,and Austin Williams was the winner of the 3rd phase of NASA's 3D Printed Habitat Competition." The proposal includes a autonomous robot with an internal printing chamber that creates 3D hexagonal structures within its pressurized cabin by using materials extracted from Mars' surface.The process requires no human interference.

The MARSHA prototype from AI SpaceFactory was the 2nd place winner of NASA's 3D Printed Habitat Contest. Built using 3D printing methods as well as robotics technology, the project mixes basalt from the surface of Mars with vegetable-based bioplastic to create a durable building material. MARSHA challenges the image of architecture in the space age, concentrating on highly inhabitable structures that focus on human needs.

This project was a collaboration by Hassell Studio with Eckersley O'Callaghan (EOC), and was pre-selected as one of the top ten proposals in NASA's Centennial Challenge. The design is centered on the human element of space design, which tends to focus more on maximum efficiency and output rather than comfort. It's exterior consists of a Regolith framework built by autonomous robots while the interior is made up of inflatable "pods" that contain all the necessities for life on Mars.

Mars Case is a minimalist housing prototype for human inhabitance on Mars. For the design, OPEN Architecture visualized the ideal house that combines technological, architectural, and artistic perfection. It integrates electronic fixtures from Xiaomi to form a singular synthesized product. By using heat re-circulation, condensation, and other byproducts generated by each electronic gadget, the house recycles energy, water, and air in an integrated and self-contained ecosystem, minimizing the consumption of resources.

Investigating alternative materials for building the first Martian settlements, Malaysian architects Warith Zaki and Amir Amzar proposed building a settlement from bamboo, primarily for its ability to withstand the extreme conditions on the planet and ability to propagate without the help of pollinators. Not only this, bamboo could easily grow on the planet thanks to the abundance of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere, making it a likely source of food for human settlers as well.

The Nwa Project from ABIBOO Studio is the result of extensive scientific research undertaken by SONet for The Mars Society. The design consists of modular, scalable fixtures situated on a cliff, forming a self-sufficient and self-sustaining vertical city able to accommodate a million inhabitants. The cliff itself provides natural protection from the Martian atmosphere.

Link:
Architecture on Mars: Projects for Life on the Red Planet - ArchDaily