NASA’s two largest launch pads are located a quarter of a mile away from the encroaching ocean. These launch pads sit atop of two 50 foot artificial hills. Most of the Florida Space Coast is in threatening danger due to climate change. Researchers have proposed that the sea levels could rise five to six feet by the end of the century due to the warming of the Antarctic ice sheet. An astronaut, named Scott Kelly, just recently returned from a year long trip in space and spoke of differences in the earth that he had observed from his prior trip from 2010. He stated, “It seems to me there is more pollution in India and China than what I saw last time. Definitely noticed the fires this summer in the USA; sometimes, could see the smoke all the way to Chicago.”

Much of the land that is owned and operated by NASA is “within 16 feet of mean sea level”. This means that the sites owned by NASA will be under severe threat from climate change although, retreating the facilities inland is not an option. The most inexpensive way to deal with climate change would to be upgrading the facilities to prepare for the changing climate. The reason these billion dollar facilities are located on the coast is due to the fact that it is much safer to launch rockets over water than over land and human civilization. The article finishes with a very sound statement, “Water, once the solution to many of the space agency’s problems, is becoming its biggest threat.”

References:

Schwartz, John. “NASA Is Facing a Climate Change Countdown.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 Apr. 2016. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.