Framlinghamian 2023-2024 Single page - web 144dpi - Flipbook - Page 304
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the secret evaluation, put it another way:
cutting fossil fuel use would be enough
asking the nuclear industry to evaluate
to save the planet from dangerous
an alternative source of energy was
overheating, at the turn of the 21st century
like putting King Herod in charge of a
he set up a scheme to develop marine
children’s home. By then, however, Salter
cloud brightening – an idea to produce
had become interested in other projects.
more and brighter clouds in the middle of
As a result, his duck has never been tested
the oceans in order to re昀氀ect sunlight back
at sea – although wave-power devices
into space, thereby keeping the oceans
using some of his technologies are now in
cooler and reducing sea-level rise.
development in the Orkneys and o昀昀 the
He designed a project to build a large
coast of Portugal.
number of automated ships spraying
The prototype ducks, developed in a
aerosols from sea water into the
multidirectional wave tank of Salter’s
atmosphere to create and brighten clouds
invention, are now in the National Museum
in the middle of the world’s oceans, and
of Scotland in Edinburgh, where there
– having made a considerable fortune by
are a number of other exhibits with links
selling some of his inventions – was able
to him, including the only remaining
to set up the Lothian School of Technology
Black Knight rocket, a UK ballistic missile
just outside Edinburgh for £2.4m. The
from the 1950s, and Freddy the Robot,
centre provides premises for up to 60
from the 1960s, the 昀椀rst machine to have
of his students to work on inventions and
arti昀椀cial intelligence that could ‘see’ and
develop them commercially beyond their
had a sense of touch. He also invented
time at university.
the Dervish, a low-cost method of
clearing landmines, by using a revolving
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa,
three-wheeled vehicle with a constantly
Stephen was the son of British parents who
changing path.
had emigrated there. His father joined the
Royal Navy as a meteorologist during the
Perhaps the range of those projects sums
Second World War and afterwards the
up Salter’s mind better than anything else.
family moved to Britain. Stephen attended
Colleagues who worked with him said
two boarding schools before arriving at
that while other scientists concentrated for
Framlingham College.
years on one subject to the exclusion of
all others, Salter was fascinated by new
problems.
Although it was the oil shock of 1973 that
昀椀rst stimulated his interest in renewable
energy, he later became one of the 昀椀rst
scientists to realise the dangers of climate
change. Doubting that the slow pace of
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