WEBVTT

00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:06.656
Our lives depend

00:00:06.680 --> 00:00:08.440
on a world we can't see.

00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:11.336
Think about your week so far.

00:00:11.360 --> 00:00:14.576
Have you watched TV, used GPS,

00:00:14.600 --> 00:00:17.560
checked the weather or even ate a meal?

00:00:18.120 --> 00:00:20.816
These many things
that enable our daily lives

00:00:20.840 --> 00:00:23.696
rely either directly or indirectly

00:00:23.720 --> 00:00:25.416
on satellites.

00:00:25.440 --> 00:00:27.376
And while we often take for granted

00:00:27.400 --> 00:00:29.936
the services that satellites provide us,

00:00:29.960 --> 00:00:32.776
the satellites themselves
deserve our attention

00:00:32.800 --> 00:00:34.776
as they are leaving a lasting mark

00:00:34.800 --> 00:00:36.519
on the space they occupy.

00:00:37.120 --> 00:00:40.736
People around the world
rely on satellite infrastructure every day

00:00:40.760 --> 00:00:44.816
for information, entertainment
and to communicate.

00:00:44.841 --> 00:00:47.697
There's agricultural
and environmental monitoring,

00:00:47.720 --> 00:00:50.776
Internet connectivity, navigation.

00:00:50.800 --> 00:00:52.496
Satellites even play a role

00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:56.000
in the operation of our financial
and energy markets.

00:00:56.520 --> 00:00:58.416
But these satellites that we rely on

00:00:58.440 --> 00:01:00.096
day in and day out

00:01:00.120 --> 00:01:01.776
have a finite life.

00:01:01.800 --> 00:01:03.696
They might run out of propellant,

00:01:03.720 --> 00:01:05.256
they could malfunction,

00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:08.975
or they may just naturally
reach the end of their mission life.

00:01:08.999 --> 00:01:13.136
At this point, these satellites
effectively become space junk,

00:01:13.160 --> 00:01:15.480
cluttering the orbital environment.

00:01:16.275 --> 00:01:19.798
So a framework that enables
sustainable practices in space

00:01:19.829 --> 00:01:20.829
is necessary.

00:01:21.006 --> 00:01:23.442
Such as the disposal of dead satellites,

00:01:23.466 --> 00:01:25.133
or the cleanup of debris.

00:01:25.792 --> 00:01:27.013
Otherwise,

00:01:27.061 --> 00:01:31.243
space will continue to be
our invisible landfill.

00:01:32.224 --> 00:01:35.799
People always say to me, "Space is big,
there's lots of room up there.

00:01:35.871 --> 00:01:37.938
Why do we need to take action?"

00:01:38.196 --> 00:01:41.234
And to answer that question,
I want to paint a picture for you.

00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:45.756
So imagine you're driving down the highway
on a beautiful, sunny day

00:01:45.780 --> 00:01:47.196
out running errands.

00:01:47.220 --> 00:01:48.876
You've got your music cranked,

00:01:48.900 --> 00:01:50.356
your windows rolled down,

00:01:50.380 --> 00:01:53.076
with the cool breeze
blowing through your hair.

00:01:53.100 --> 00:01:54.300
Feels nice, right?

00:01:54.940 --> 00:01:57.316
Everything is going smoothly

00:01:57.340 --> 00:01:59.996
until suddenly
your car stutters and stalls

00:02:00.020 --> 00:02:01.860
right in the middle of the highway.

00:02:02.383 --> 00:02:03.978
In that instant moment of panic,

00:02:04.010 --> 00:02:07.406
you scan your front dashboard
looking for what could be wrong.

00:02:07.514 --> 00:02:11.132
And then you eye that your fule gauge
has dropped below empty.

00:02:11.204 --> 00:02:12.404
You're out of gas.

00:02:12.919 --> 00:02:14.119
So what do you do?

00:02:14.157 --> 00:02:17.235
You naturally go to reach
for your cell phone to call for help.

00:02:17.498 --> 00:02:20.474
But then you suddenly remember
that this car you bought

00:02:20.531 --> 00:02:22.879
could never be fixed if a part breaks,

00:02:22.989 --> 00:02:25.789
or refilled with gas if the tank runs out.

00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:28.119
It just wasn't designed that way.

00:02:28.960 --> 00:02:32.256
So now you have no choice
but to abandon your car

00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:33.720
where it is on the highway.

00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:36.336
Maybe you were lucky enough

00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:39.256
to be able to move it out of the way
and into a shoulder lane

00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:41.416
so that it's out of the way
of other traffic.

00:02:41.440 --> 00:02:42.696
A couple of hours ago,

00:02:42.720 --> 00:02:47.200
your car was a useful machine
that you relied on in your everyday life.

00:02:47.800 --> 00:02:50.336
Now, it's a useless hunk of metal

00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:54.040
taking up space in a valuable
transportation network.

00:02:54.720 --> 00:02:58.896
And imagine international roadways
all cluttered with broken down vehicles

00:02:58.920 --> 00:03:01.776
that are just getting in the way
of other traffic.

00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:04.696
And imagine the debris
that would be strewn everywhere

00:03:04.720 --> 00:03:07.176
if a collision actually happened,

00:03:07.200 --> 00:03:09.576
thousands of smaller pieces of debris

00:03:09.600 --> 00:03:11.520
becoming new obstacles.

00:03:12.480 --> 00:03:16.056
This is the paradigm
of the satellite industry.

00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:18.216
Satellites that are no longer working

00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:22.056
are often left to deorbit
over many, many years,

00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:25.616
or only moved out of the way
as a temporary solution.

00:03:25.640 --> 00:03:27.896
And there are no
international laws in space

00:03:27.920 --> 00:03:30.560
to enforce us to clean up after ourselves.

00:03:30.948 --> 00:03:33.178
Without disposing of dead satellites,

00:03:33.218 --> 00:03:35.618
or taking action to clean up debris,

00:03:35.670 --> 00:03:38.829
we are already polluters in outer space.

00:03:39.387 --> 00:03:42.751
And this is largely in part
because us, all of us here,

00:03:42.831 --> 00:03:45.934
rely on the services
that satellites provide us,

00:03:46.038 --> 00:03:49.299
without really understanding the impacts
of our usage.

00:03:49.593 --> 00:03:52.616
If we want to keep using our phones,
checking the weather,

00:03:52.688 --> 00:03:55.997
and so many other
technological conveniences

00:03:56.053 --> 00:03:58.520
afforded to us because of satellites,

00:03:58.600 --> 00:04:01.267
we have to have a clean up plan in place.

00:04:02.280 --> 00:04:04.536
So the world's first satellite, Sputnik I,

00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:06.816
was launched in 1957,

00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:10.480
and in that year, there were
only a total of three launch attempts.

00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:14.656
Decades later and dozens of countries
from all around the world

00:04:14.680 --> 00:04:18.055
have launched thousands
of more satellites into orbit,

00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:21.815
and the frequency of launches
is only going to increase in the future,

00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:24.416
especially if you consider
things like the possibility

00:04:24.440 --> 00:04:28.040
of 900-plus satellite
constellations being launched.

00:04:29.160 --> 00:04:31.216
Now, we send satellites
to different orbits

00:04:31.240 --> 00:04:33.296
depending on what they're needed for.

00:04:33.320 --> 00:04:35.656
One of the most common places
we send satellites

00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:37.256
is the low Earth orbit,

00:04:37.280 --> 00:04:39.256
possibly to image the surface of Earth

00:04:39.280 --> 00:04:41.680
at up to about 2,000 kilometers altitude.

00:04:42.312 --> 00:04:46.442
Satellites there are naturally buffeted
by Earth's atmosphere,

00:04:46.500 --> 00:04:48.436
so their orbits naturally decay,

00:04:48.460 --> 00:04:49.996
and they'll eventually burn up,

00:04:50.020 --> 00:04:51.980
probably within a couple of decades.

00:04:52.740 --> 00:04:54.836
Another common place we send satellites

00:04:54.860 --> 00:04:56.516
is the geostationary orbit

00:04:56.540 --> 00:04:59.140
at about 35,000 kilometers altitude.

00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:03.796
Satellites there remain in the same place
above Earth as the Earth rotates,

00:05:03.820 --> 00:05:08.100
which enables things like communications
or television broadcast, for example.

00:05:08.740 --> 00:05:13.060
Satellites in high orbits like these
could remain there for centuries.

00:05:14.260 --> 00:05:17.436
And then there's the orbit
coined "the graveyard,"

00:05:17.460 --> 00:05:20.076
the ominous junk or disposal orbits,

00:05:20.100 --> 00:05:22.956
where some satellites
are intentionally placed

00:05:22.980 --> 00:05:24.196
at the end of their life

00:05:24.220 --> 00:05:27.980
so that they're out of the way
of common operational orbits.

00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:33.576
Of the nearly 7,000 satellites
launched since the late 1950s,

00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:36.960
only about one in seven
is currently operational,

00:05:37.560 --> 00:05:40.456
and in addition to the satellites
that are no longer working,

00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:43.976
there's also hundreds of thousands
of marble-sized debris

00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:46.416
and millions of paint chip-sized debris

00:05:46.440 --> 00:05:48.440
that are also orbiting around the Earth.

00:05:49.080 --> 00:05:51.856
Space debris is a major risk
to space missions,

00:05:51.880 --> 00:05:55.880
but also to the satellites
that we rely on each and every day.

00:05:56.720 --> 00:06:00.136
Now, because space debris and junk
has become increasingly worrisome,

00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:02.776
there have been some national
and international efforts

00:06:02.800 --> 00:06:04.296
to develop technical standards

00:06:04.320 --> 00:06:07.240
to help us limit the generation
of additional debris.

00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:09.936
So for example, there are recommendations

00:06:09.960 --> 00:06:12.056
for those low-Earth orbiting spacecraft

00:06:12.080 --> 00:06:15.496
to be made to deorbit in under 25 years,

00:06:15.520 --> 00:06:17.616
but that's still a really long time,

00:06:17.640 --> 00:06:20.960
especially if a satellite
hasn't been working for years.

00:06:21.520 --> 00:06:24.576
There's also mandates
for those dead geostationary spacecraft

00:06:24.600 --> 00:06:26.840
to be moved into a graveyard orbit.

00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:31.376
But neither of these guidelines
is binding under international law,

00:06:31.400 --> 00:06:36.176
and the understanding is that they will be
implemented through national mechanisms.

00:06:36.200 --> 00:06:38.656
These guidelines are also not long-term,

00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:40.096
they're not proactive,

00:06:40.120 --> 00:06:43.456
nor do they address
the debris that's already up there.

00:06:43.480 --> 00:06:47.320
They're only in place
to limit the future creation of debris.

00:06:47.880 --> 00:06:51.040
Space junk is no one's responsibility.

00:06:52.025 --> 00:06:54.748
So, I grew up with the huge appreciation
for the outdoors

00:06:54.780 --> 00:06:58.855
and the keen sense of our footprint
on the environments we interact with.

00:06:58.910 --> 00:07:01.275
One of the foremost codes
of outdoor conduct

00:07:01.323 --> 00:07:03.013
is the "leave no trace" policy

00:07:03.045 --> 00:07:04.966
where we show care and respect

00:07:04.990 --> 00:07:06.799
for our wild [unclear] on Earth,

00:07:06.839 --> 00:07:09.506
doing our part to protect our resources.

00:07:09.800 --> 00:07:12.866
Here on Earth, it's a bit easier
to visualize waste

00:07:12.903 --> 00:07:14.593
in our natural environments.

00:07:14.641 --> 00:07:16.841
We can see litter in our streets,

00:07:16.887 --> 00:07:19.887
in our neighborhoods
and even in our oceans.

00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:23.268
The orbital environment is no different -

00:07:23.316 --> 00:07:26.450
it demands our care,
it demands our attention

00:07:26.475 --> 00:07:28.542
and it demands our stewardship.

00:07:28.752 --> 00:07:31.990
Because space is simply
a different kind of wilderness

00:07:32.024 --> 00:07:33.624
that we need to protect.

00:07:33.847 --> 00:07:35.807
We need a "leave no trace"policy

00:07:35.839 --> 00:07:39.577
extending all the way
into the orbital environment and beyond.

00:07:39.800 --> 00:07:42.847
And fostering a collective
sense of responsibility

00:07:42.903 --> 00:07:44.903
can help us reduce our impact.

00:07:46.280 --> 00:07:49.136
Now, Mount Everest is actually
an interesting comparison

00:07:49.160 --> 00:07:52.376
of a new approach to how
we interact with our environments,

00:07:52.400 --> 00:07:54.696
as it's often given the dubious honor

00:07:54.720 --> 00:07:57.720
of being the world's highest garbage dump.

00:07:58.640 --> 00:08:01.896
Decades after the first conquest
of the world's highest peak,

00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:04.176
tons of rubbish left behind by climbers

00:08:04.200 --> 00:08:06.136
has started to raise concern,

00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:08.896
and you may have read in the news
that there's speculation

00:08:08.920 --> 00:08:10.976
that Nepal will crack down on mountaineers

00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:14.985
with stricter enforcement
of penalties and legal obligations.

00:08:15.700 --> 00:08:18.116
The goal, of course,
is to persuade climbers

00:08:18.140 --> 00:08:20.316
to clean up after themselves,

00:08:20.340 --> 00:08:25.236
so maybe local not-for-profits will pay
climbers who bring down extra waste,

00:08:25.260 --> 00:08:28.740
or expeditions might organize
voluntary cleanup trips.

00:08:29.220 --> 00:08:31.476
And yet still many climbers feel

00:08:31.500 --> 00:08:34.740
that independent groups
should police themselves.

00:08:35.220 --> 00:08:38.035
There's no simple or easy answer,

00:08:38.059 --> 00:08:41.116
and even well-intentioned
efforts at conservation

00:08:41.140 --> 00:08:42.980
often run into problems.

00:08:43.419 --> 00:08:46.516
But that doesn't mean
we shouldn't do everything in our power

00:08:46.540 --> 00:08:49.860
to protect the environments
that we rely and depend on,

00:08:50.540 --> 00:08:54.556
and like Everest, the remote location
and inadequate infrastructure

00:08:54.580 --> 00:08:55.996
of the orbital environment

00:08:56.020 --> 00:08:58.380
make waste disposal a challenging problem.

00:08:59.020 --> 00:09:01.556
But we simply cannot reach new heights

00:09:01.580 --> 00:09:04.636
and create an even higher garbage dump,

00:09:04.660 --> 00:09:06.820
one that's out of this world.

00:09:08.380 --> 00:09:09.596
The reality of space

00:09:09.620 --> 00:09:12.196
is that if a component
on a satellite breaks down,

00:09:12.220 --> 00:09:15.116
there really are limited
opportunities for repairs,

00:09:15.140 --> 00:09:17.180
and only at great cost.

00:09:17.860 --> 00:09:21.356
But what if we were smarter
about how we designed satellites?

00:09:21.380 --> 00:09:22.676
What if all satellites,

00:09:22.700 --> 00:09:24.996
regardless of what country
they were built in,

00:09:25.020 --> 00:09:26.916
had to be standardized in some way

00:09:26.940 --> 00:09:29.476
for recycling, servicing

00:09:29.500 --> 00:09:30.980
or active deorbiting?

00:09:31.660 --> 00:09:35.196
What if there actually were
international laws with teeth

00:09:35.220 --> 00:09:37.996
that enforced end-of-life
disposal of satellites

00:09:38.020 --> 00:09:40.156
instead of moving them out of the way

00:09:40.180 --> 00:09:41.780
as a temporary solution?

00:09:42.660 --> 00:09:45.596
Or maybe satellite manufacturers
need to be charged a deposit

00:09:45.620 --> 00:09:47.916
to even launch a satellite into orbit,

00:09:47.940 --> 00:09:50.396
and that deposit would only be returned

00:09:50.420 --> 00:09:52.956
if the satellite was disposed of properly

00:09:52.980 --> 00:09:55.700
or if they cleaned up
some quota of debris.

00:09:56.540 --> 00:09:59.116
Or maybe a satellite
needs to have technology on board

00:09:59.140 --> 00:10:00.900
to help accelerate deorbit.

00:10:01.820 --> 00:10:04.076
There are some encouraging signs.

00:10:04.100 --> 00:10:08.796
The UK's TechDemoSat-1,
launched in 2014, for example,

00:10:08.820 --> 00:10:10.756
was designed for end-of-life disposal

00:10:10.780 --> 00:10:12.716
via a small drag sail.

00:10:12.740 --> 00:10:15.316
This works for the satellite
because it's small,

00:10:15.340 --> 00:10:19.036
but satellites that are higher
or in larger orbits

00:10:19.060 --> 00:10:21.916
or are larger altogether,
like the size of school buses,

00:10:21.940 --> 00:10:24.356
will require other disposal options.

00:10:24.380 --> 00:10:27.356
So maybe you get into things
like high-powered lasers

00:10:27.380 --> 00:10:29.196
or tugging using nets or tethers,

00:10:29.220 --> 00:10:31.540
as crazy as those sound in the short term.

00:10:32.260 --> 00:10:34.156
And then one really cool possibility

00:10:34.180 --> 00:10:37.500
is the idea of orbital tow trucks
or space mechanics.

00:10:37.940 --> 00:10:39.556
Imagine if a robotic arm

00:10:39.580 --> 00:10:41.436
on some sort of space tow truck

00:10:41.460 --> 00:10:43.756
could fix the broken components
on a satellite,

00:10:43.780 --> 00:10:45.620
making them usable again.

00:10:46.340 --> 00:10:48.276
Or what if that very same robotic arm

00:10:48.300 --> 00:10:50.636
could refuel the propellant tank
on a spacecraft

00:10:50.660 --> 00:10:52.636
that relies on chemical propulsion

00:10:52.660 --> 00:10:56.139
just like you or I would refuel
the fuel tanks on our cars?

00:10:56.659 --> 00:10:58.316
Robotic repair and maintenance

00:10:58.340 --> 00:11:02.060
could extend the lives of hundreds
of satellites orbiting around the Earth.

00:11:03.380 --> 00:11:06.276
Whatever the disposal
or cleanup options we come up with,

00:11:06.300 --> 00:11:09.276
it's clearly not just a technical problem.

00:11:09.300 --> 00:11:14.356
There's also complex space laws
and politics that we have to sort out.

00:11:14.380 --> 00:11:18.540
Simply put, we haven't found a way
to use space sustainably yet.

00:11:19.820 --> 00:11:22.716
Exploring, innovating
to change the way we live and work

00:11:22.740 --> 00:11:24.716
are what we as humans do,

00:11:24.740 --> 00:11:26.236
and in space exploration,

00:11:26.260 --> 00:11:29.516
we're literally moving
beyond the boundaries of Earth.

00:11:29.540 --> 00:11:33.196
But as we push thresholds
in the name of learning and innovation,

00:11:33.220 --> 00:11:38.700
we must remember that accountability
for our environments never goes away.

00:11:39.620 --> 00:11:43.796
There is without doubt congestion
in the low Earth and geostationary orbits,

00:11:43.820 --> 00:11:46.156
and we cannot keep
launching new satellites

00:11:46.180 --> 00:11:48.476
to replace the ones that have broken down

00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:50.556
without doing something about them first,

00:11:50.580 --> 00:11:53.036
just like we would never
leave a broken down car

00:11:53.060 --> 00:11:54.460
in the middle of the highway.

00:11:55.203 --> 00:11:57.418
Earth's orbit is not a limitless resource

00:11:57.459 --> 00:11:59.251
and the problem will only get worse

00:11:59.291 --> 00:12:02.235
without a significant change
to our behaviors.

00:12:02.292 --> 00:12:05.005
We need a global and collective cimmitment

00:12:05.038 --> 00:12:08.104
to shared responsibilities
beyond our planet.

00:12:09.236 --> 00:12:12.736
So, today I want to leave each
and every one of you with a challenge.

00:12:12.761 --> 00:12:15.228
And that's to become a space steward.

00:12:15.360 --> 00:12:16.936
Next time you use your phone,

00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:19.456
check the weather or use your GPS,

00:12:19.480 --> 00:12:23.736
think about the satellite technologies
that make those activities possible.

00:12:23.760 --> 00:12:25.616
But also think about the very impact

00:12:25.640 --> 00:12:28.936
that the satellites have
on the environment surrounding Earth,

00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:33.656
and help spread the message
that together we must reduce our impact.

00:12:33.680 --> 00:12:36.216
Earth orbit is breathtakingly beautiful

00:12:36.240 --> 00:12:38.816
and our gateway to exploration.

00:12:38.840 --> 00:12:41.360
It's up to us to keep it that way.

00:12:42.760 --> 00:12:43.976
Thank you.

00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:46.080
(Applause)