But until then I would rather climb away, not wait for the last piece of ice to melt, but climb into the airless cold of outer space where I too can be a witness to what happens next.

As space gets tight and energy costs climb, many firms have begun consolidating and simplifying their computing infrastructure.

Five years ago NASA, America's space agency, offered prize money to any team that could build a remotely powered robot able to climb quickly up a cable.