As glaciers around the world are melting at an accelerated rate, sea level is continuing to rise. While it is mainly affecting those who live close to bodies of water, it is also starting to affect space exploration. Around two thirds of NASA’s land coverage is within five meters of sea level. These include including launch sites at the Kennedy Space Center and Houston’s Johnson Space Center. This, along with NASA’s drop in budget in recent years is a concern for space exploration.

Due to the close proximity to sea level in these locations, it puts launching sites at risk of floodwaters. As most people know, putting humans into space is expensive and if these sites are damaged it could cost taxpayers. Another concern is that some senators think NASA is spending too much money on earth sciences rather than space exploration. NASA administrator Charlie Bolden responded by telling them, “We can’t go anywhere if the Kennedy Space Center goes underwater.”

This article grabbed my attention because I had never thought of space exploration and climate change going hand in hand. It just goes to show that climate change can affect us all, even if we are 5 miles away or exploring space.

Resource:

http://spacenews.com/rising-sea-levels-could-have-acute-impact-on-nasa/