#heavymetals

Ummm... There's already a problem with pollution from #SpaceDebris on #Earth. Let's not add to it, eh? #YorkSpaceSystems introduces new spacecraft platform built for #VeryLowEarthOrbit #VLEO Munis Raza Thu, September 3, 2026 "York Space Systems has introduced a new spacecraft platform purpose-built for Very Low Earth Orbit. The company describes VLEO as one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry. The Denver-based firm calls the design LX/V-CLASS, adapted from its existing S-CLASS and LX-CLASS product lines rather than developed entirely from scratch. "Customers use a spacecraft platform as the underlying structure and subsystems onto which they integrate their own mission-specific payload, such as sensors or communications equipment. York says LX/V-CLASS extends that same approach into VLEO, broadening the range of missions the company can support for both commercial and government customers. "Very Low Earth Orbit sits at altitudes low enough that atmospheric drag naturally clears debris from the surrounding environment. That differs from higher orbits, where defunct hardware can linger for years. That same drag creates real engineering challenges. Spacecraft flying there must actively maintain their orbit and attitude far more aggressively than they would elsewhere." Read more: https://tech.yahoo.com/science/articles/york-space-systems-introduces-spacecraft-101300072.html #SpaceDebris #Satellites #SpacePollution #HeavyMetals #LithiumPollution

#PlasticPollution in #ShootingRanges and warfare areas - an overlooked #environmental issue Andrés Rodríguez-Seijo, et al. 15 July 2026 Abstract "Shooting ranges and military training fields, including warfare-impacted areas, have been widely recognized as environmentally impacted zones by inorganic and organic #contamination, such as #HeavyMetals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or explosive-related compounds. However, the possible contamination by #plastics and #microplastics in soil has been widely overlooked despite potential plastic sources, such as #ShotgunCartridges, #PlasticWads or #landmines. Due to how these activities occur, plastics have remained in the field for decades or centuries, favoring their conversion from macro to microplastics, polluting the soil and water resources. Moreover, shooting and recreational activities such as #airsoft or #paintball practices could also be a substantial source of plastics to ecosystems; once shot, pellets can have conventional or biodegradable plastics in their composition, and there left in the environment, favouring impacts on soil properties. Although some initiatives have emerged to avoid the use of single-use plastics in shotgun ammunition, alternative materials (biodegradable plastics) can also be a potential risk, favouring the heavy metal bioavailability of shot pellets. These emerging pollutants should also be considered in these areas to understand if they could be a potential source of micro- and nanoplastics to the environment and, therefore, an environmental concern that requires changes at industrial and regulatory levels." Read more: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935125008771 #EndangeredSpecies #EndangeredBirds #AmmunitionPollution #ProtectNature