The heavy cost of the nitrogen pollution

The addition of nitrogen in synthetic fertilizers revolutionized agriculture in the early 20th century. The benefits of using nitrogen-based fertilizers, are however provided by the effects of air pollution on health and the environment nitrogen in the shade.

Nitrogen pollution costs Europe between 70 and 320 billion euro ($ 100 billion-$ 460bn) per year in their effects on health and the environment, according to a large European study launched in the UK on Monday.

The first European nitrogen assessment, the result of a five year research programme, found that the cost is more than double the advantages of the continent's agriculture sector represented.

The ENA was on Monday to start a five-day International Conference in Edinburgh.

The study was conducted by 200 experts from 21 countries and 89 organisations, who came with recommendations about how to reduce nitrogen in the air, the Earth, water and ecosystems.

The invention of synthetic fertilizer in the early twentieth century agriculture is revolutionizing, multiply income and improve the quality.

However, the amount of nitrogen in the environment at world level has doubled and tripled in Europe.

ENA Coordinator mark Sutton said: "more than half of the world's population relies on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer for food production, but measures are needed, the impact of nitrogen to reduce pollution."

"The solutions include a more efficient use of mineral and organic manure (dung, manure and compost), eating habits, and more moderate meat consumption target."

"We have the know-how to nitrogen to reduce pollution, but must we begin to apply these solutions at European level in an integrated way."

The event in the Scottish capital will bring together to start the ENA scientists and policy makers, and discuss the latest scientific progress in nitrogen.

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SpaceX Falcon heavy rocket: link to Mars?

Falcon heavy to 117,000 pounds in the Umlaufbahn--twice the lift capacity of the NASA space shuttle launch. The new booster is supposed to lower launch costs of $10,000 to 1,000 dollars per pound orbit. The Falcon could put heavy fly satellites in Earth orbit and payloads to Mars.

The Holy Grail in planetary science is samples of soil and rock from Mars return. This is the best way, with today's technologies, to discover if there is life elsewhere in the solar system. Mission costs were however prohibitively expensive.

This would be to change.

By space exploration technologies (SpaceX), a heavy lift rocket was the cost of introducing payloads into space from the current rate of about $ 10,000 per pound to about $1,000 per pound, is cut, company founder Elon Musk said during Tuesday's announcement.

"I think, we can realistically start missions as a Mars look at sample return, an enormous amount of lift required is ability because you send with a Mars Lander still enough fuel to return to the Earth," said musk.

"If you try a mission as do that with a smaller, you have several starts and either do orbital rendezvous or some sort very much more complex mission," he said.

Launch costs can up to 20 to 25 percent of the budget for the launch of missions food, NASA associate administrator for science, Ed Weiler, told Discovery News.

"We are all praying that Elon Musk is successful and it not only delivers cheap launchers, but a secure Launcher." When he does, he will life for us a little easier to make, "Weiler said."

NASA is collaborating with the European Space Agency (ESA) on a three stage mission to rock and soil samples from Mars to earth back. The first leg of the journey would be targeted for launch in the year 2018, a Rover to Mars fly, which could collect and store samples for future pickup. A second ship would on Mars to pick up the examples and start them in the orbit of Mars land. A third craft would get the box of samples and fly it back to Earth.

Hamlet, said cheaper launchers plans the mission can not change, but it would certainly make more affordable to the endeavor.

"Rising start, which costs really start to do your ability, crimp missions," said Weiler.

The new SpaceX rocket, called heavy Falcon, is based on the company's existing Falcon 9 boosters, which buys NASA deliver cargo to the international space station (ISS) after the space shuttle - fleet is in this summer.

Falcon 9 has flown both successfully twice. In addition to government customers, SpaceX markets the Falcon family of rockets for commercial users.

Falcon heavy's debut flight is for 2013 from Vandenberg Air Force base in California. Operational missions are planned by SpaceX's Florida launch site.

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