The “global space economy” refers to pretty much everything having to do with human progress through space, including exploration, research, management, and use. It also generates hundreds of billions of dollars every year.
You may not have heard the term “global space economy,” but you’ve probably heard of at least two of the big players: Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. As founders of Blue Origin and SpaceX, their companies are estimated to be worth $100 billion and $1.8 trillion, respectively. If you took 1.8 trillion standard dollar bills end-to-end, it would stretch 100 million miles — more than the distance from the Earth to the Sun! Imagine walking to the Sun on a bridge made of money! You couldn’t, because of all of the “zero gravity.” Your feet would also get very tired. There’s also no oxygen. But we know all of this because of how much we’ve studied space!
So why spend so much time and money on the space industry, which has expanded massively in the last few decades? Don’t only a few select astronauts go to space? Shouldn’t we be focusing on Earth? Well, what we learn in space has a big impact on what we do on the ground. Our findings from space show up as the GPS on our phones, in ships navigating the oceans, even as farmers using satellite photography to plan their crops.
There’s no sign of slowing down on the space front — the UK is focusing on small satellites, America is hoping to put astronauts back on the moon by 2028, and China is planning its own lunar landing by 2030. These explorations could provide valuable minerals, insight to getting past the Moon (like to Mars), and open up space tourism opportunities.
Feeling the heat lately? It might be because of El Niño, a climate pattern characterized by unusually warm sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It can affect the trade winds. These are the permanent, normally easterly winds that flow around the Earth's equator.
When we track the water temperature using tools like satellites, buoys, and ocean floats to measure temperatures below the ocean's surface, they show a large body of unusually hot water. Way bigger than the pot of water you’re boiling for your mac and cheese. Yes, even if you’re making extra mac and cheese. This is serious business! It can cause the sea-surface temperatures in parts of the tropical Pacific to rise by more than 2°C (about 3.6°F) above average, suggesting this year's El Niño is unusually strong, and could make 2027 one of the hottest years on record.
Depending on where you are in the world, El Niño is associated with both droughts and floods. These affect the lives of people living in those places, as well as their agriculture and food production, so the whole world feels the El Niño effects.
The UK wants to see more hedgehogs, and it’s not because hedgehogs are incredibly cute. Well, not just because of that. The UK’s hedgehog population is in dangerous decline, but part of the solution could be an AI tool called Tessera that uses satellite images to help build a map of hedgehog habitats.
Before Tessera can work its magic, it needs some input. Researchers need to find and learn hedgehogs’ preferred environments by identifying the habitat’s fingerprint. A fingerprint, in this case, is a pattern or collection of characteristics generally found in hedgehog habitats. Maybe your habitat fingerprint would include a freezer full of ice cream and trampoline floors! It has nothing to do with actual fingers, even though that would be a great excuse to spend all day looking at hedgehog paws.
Researchers do their field work in small areas, then input their findings into the software that can extrapolate, show where the other similar habitats are, and record changes over time. The project will hopefully help us learn about where hedgehogs live, how we can help them survive, and how we can set up our homes to comfortably accommodate a hedgehog houseguest.
From the scorching surface of Mercury to the icy winds of Neptune, this BBC Learning Hub playlist takes you on an awe-inspiring voyage across our celestial neighborhood. Explore the mysteries of alien worlds, witness dramatic planetary weather, uncover the origins of Saturn’s rings, and ponder life on Mars. Whether you're a curious stargazer or a space science enthusiast, these video clips from landmark BBC series like The Planets and Wonders of the Solar System will ignite learner's imagination and deepen your cosmic curiosity.
In How Earth Got Its Water, geologist Iain Stewart explains how Earth's first oceans were born from a rainstorm that lasted hundreds of thousands of years. But that epic downpour only gave Earth half its water — the rest came from space! Scientists crashed a satellite into a comet to uncover how these icy space rocks helped fill our oceans billions of years ago. And the story isn’t over — today, in East Africa, a massive crack is slowly splitting the continent, and one day, it could form a brand-new ocean! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary series in which Dr. Iain Stewart discovers how Earth's forces can shape nature, species, and even the climate.
In Antarctica and Our Climate, geologist Iain Stewart explains how technology allows us to see the full geography of Antarctica, including lakes that are under ice and huge glaciers that cover islands of rock. Antarctica is formed because we are in an ice age that has lasted more than three million years, with small changes that have a large impact as ice advances and retreats over and over again. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary series in which Dr. Iain Stewart discovers how Earth's forces can shape nature, species, and even the climate.
In Who’s Your Source?, host Radzi Chinyanganya examines how reporters get their information from different sources and ensure their accuracy. For example, BBC journalists exposed a network of hidden detention centers in Western China where Muslims were detained without a trial. The Chinese government was working hard to keep this story hidden by closely monitoring, and even detaining, journalists. Reporters used satellites to investigate, and they also interviewed Muslims in Turkey who claimed to have been in the detention compounds. They looked for consistency and overlap in their stories. Verifying information from multiple sources helps a journalist assess a story and tell it accurately. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
The article "Satellites in Orbit Can Now Be Hacked: Why That's Really Bad!" from BBC's Science Focus explains the growing concern of satellite cybersecurity and hacking. The article discusses potential hacking methods, the consequences of such attacks, and the current lack of global regulations to prevent them.
In The Amazon Rainforest and Human Destruction, look at satellite images that show how forests across South America are being replaced by farms at a rapid pace. Over two million species of plants and animals live in the Amazon rainforest and many are endangered. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Deforestation and Palm Oil see how satellite imaging has revealed a surprising amount of forest removal across the globe. Much of the deforestation is driven by the demand for palm oil, which is found in many products. Deforestation reduces the number of plants that absorb carbon dioxide emissions and adds to the emissions through burning forests. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Climate Change - The Facts, a documentary that delves into the science of climate change and its far-reaching consequences.
The “global space economy” refers to pretty much everything having to do with human progress through space, including exploration, research, management, and use. It also generates hundreds of billions of dollars every year.
You may not have heard the term “global space economy,” but you’ve probably heard of at least two of the big players: Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. As founders of Blue Origin and SpaceX, their companies are estimated to be worth $100 billion and $1.8 trillion, respectively. If you took 1.8 trillion standard dollar bills end-to-end, it would stretch 100 million miles — more than the distance from the Earth to the Sun! Imagine walking to the Sun on a bridge made of money! You couldn’t, because of all of the “zero gravity.” Your feet would also get very tired. There’s also no oxygen. But we know all of this because of how much we’ve studied space!
So why spend so much time and money on the space industry, which has expanded massively in the last few decades? Don’t only a few select astronauts go to space? Shouldn’t we be focusing on Earth? Well, what we learn in space has a big impact on what we do on the ground. Our findings from space show up as the GPS on our phones, in ships navigating the oceans, even as farmers using satellite photography to plan their crops.
There’s no sign of slowing down on the space front — the UK is focusing on small satellites, America is hoping to put astronauts back on the moon by 2028, and China is planning its own lunar landing by 2030. These explorations could provide valuable minerals, insight to getting past the Moon (like to Mars), and open up space tourism opportunities.
Feeling the heat lately? It might be because of El Niño, a climate pattern characterized by unusually warm sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It can affect the trade winds. These are the permanent, normally easterly winds that flow around the Earth's equator.
When we track the water temperature using tools like satellites, buoys, and ocean floats to measure temperatures below the ocean's surface, they show a large body of unusually hot water. Way bigger than the pot of water you’re boiling for your mac and cheese. Yes, even if you’re making extra mac and cheese. This is serious business! It can cause the sea-surface temperatures in parts of the tropical Pacific to rise by more than 2°C (about 3.6°F) above average, suggesting this year's El Niño is unusually strong, and could make 2027 one of the hottest years on record.
Depending on where you are in the world, El Niño is associated with both droughts and floods. These affect the lives of people living in those places, as well as their agriculture and food production, so the whole world feels the El Niño effects.
The UK wants to see more hedgehogs, and it’s not because hedgehogs are incredibly cute. Well, not just because of that. The UK’s hedgehog population is in dangerous decline, but part of the solution could be an AI tool called Tessera that uses satellite images to help build a map of hedgehog habitats.
Before Tessera can work its magic, it needs some input. Researchers need to find and learn hedgehogs’ preferred environments by identifying the habitat’s fingerprint. A fingerprint, in this case, is a pattern or collection of characteristics generally found in hedgehog habitats. Maybe your habitat fingerprint would include a freezer full of ice cream and trampoline floors! It has nothing to do with actual fingers, even though that would be a great excuse to spend all day looking at hedgehog paws.
Researchers do their field work in small areas, then input their findings into the software that can extrapolate, show where the other similar habitats are, and record changes over time. The project will hopefully help us learn about where hedgehogs live, how we can help them survive, and how we can set up our homes to comfortably accommodate a hedgehog houseguest.
From the scorching surface of Mercury to the icy winds of Neptune, this BBC Learning Hub playlist takes you on an awe-inspiring voyage across our celestial neighborhood. Explore the mysteries of alien worlds, witness dramatic planetary weather, uncover the origins of Saturn’s rings, and ponder life on Mars. Whether you're a curious stargazer or a space science enthusiast, these video clips from landmark BBC series like The Planets and Wonders of the Solar System will ignite learner's imagination and deepen your cosmic curiosity.
In How Earth Got Its Water, geologist Iain Stewart explains how Earth's first oceans were born from a rainstorm that lasted hundreds of thousands of years. But that epic downpour only gave Earth half its water — the rest came from space! Scientists crashed a satellite into a comet to uncover how these icy space rocks helped fill our oceans billions of years ago. And the story isn’t over — today, in East Africa, a massive crack is slowly splitting the continent, and one day, it could form a brand-new ocean! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary series in which Dr. Iain Stewart discovers how Earth's forces can shape nature, species, and even the climate.
In Antarctica and Our Climate, geologist Iain Stewart explains how technology allows us to see the full geography of Antarctica, including lakes that are under ice and huge glaciers that cover islands of rock. Antarctica is formed because we are in an ice age that has lasted more than three million years, with small changes that have a large impact as ice advances and retreats over and over again. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary series in which Dr. Iain Stewart discovers how Earth's forces can shape nature, species, and even the climate.
In Who’s Your Source?, host Radzi Chinyanganya examines how reporters get their information from different sources and ensure their accuracy. For example, BBC journalists exposed a network of hidden detention centers in Western China where Muslims were detained without a trial. The Chinese government was working hard to keep this story hidden by closely monitoring, and even detaining, journalists. Reporters used satellites to investigate, and they also interviewed Muslims in Turkey who claimed to have been in the detention compounds. They looked for consistency and overlap in their stories. Verifying information from multiple sources helps a journalist assess a story and tell it accurately. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
The article "Satellites in Orbit Can Now Be Hacked: Why That's Really Bad!" from BBC's Science Focus explains the growing concern of satellite cybersecurity and hacking. The article discusses potential hacking methods, the consequences of such attacks, and the current lack of global regulations to prevent them.
In The Amazon Rainforest and Human Destruction, look at satellite images that show how forests across South America are being replaced by farms at a rapid pace. Over two million species of plants and animals live in the Amazon rainforest and many are endangered. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Deforestation and Palm Oil see how satellite imaging has revealed a surprising amount of forest removal across the globe. Much of the deforestation is driven by the demand for palm oil, which is found in many products. Deforestation reduces the number of plants that absorb carbon dioxide emissions and adds to the emissions through burning forests. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Climate Change - The Facts, a documentary that delves into the science of climate change and its far-reaching consequences.