Greece pins hopes on heat-seeking satellites to predict wildfires

Athens, Greece – Nine storeys off the surface of the Earth in a northern Athens suburb, half a dozen young engineers are busy reading images from four satellites orbiting 550km (340 miles) above them.

The tasking room of the Hellenic Space Center (HSC) at first seems ordinary. It is only the wall-sized screen at the end of the room that offers any hint that something extraordina...