Space isn’t as empty as we think — it’s a junkyard up there! Scientists warn that space debris could someday collide with airplanes, and the risk is growing every year. In this compilation, we dive into the strange and worrying ways space junk threatens life on Earth. You’ll see the craziest potential scenarios, from tiny shards to massive collisions, and what experts are doing to prevent them. From satellites gone rogue to pieces of old rockets, the sky is more crowded than ever. Watch now to explore the risky side of our orbiting neighborhood before it’s too late! Credit: SpaceX Crew Dragon: by NASA, https://images.nasa.gov/details-jsc2021e064211_alt, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_station_pictured_from_the_SpaceX_Crew_Dragon_5_(cropped).jpg SpaceX Crew Dragon: by NASA/SpaceX, https://flic.kr/p/28gD4LZ, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SpaceX_Crew_Dragon_(More_cropped).jpg Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/
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00:04You're on a flight, 35,000 feet in the air, sipping coffee, listening to music over your earphones,
00:11when suddenly, a hunk of metal the size of a baseball rips through the plane like a bullet from space.
00:17No warning, no escape, just a silent demise falling from the sky at 17,000 miles per hour.
00:25Sounds like a disaster movie? Perhaps, but it's also a very real scenario, and this should be a wake-up call.
00:33Right now, Earth is being surrounded by thousands of pieces of space junk like non-functioning satellites, rocket parts, or orbital shrapnel.
00:42Most burn up, some don't, and aviation experts warn it's only a matter of time before one of them punches a hole in a plane full of passengers.
00:52Think the sky is empty once you're above the clouds? Of course not.
00:56In fact, it's busier than ever, from both above and below.
01:01Every day, around 100,000 flights crisscross the globe.
01:05At the same time, thousands of satellites, old rocket stages, and debris fragments are zipping through space just a few hundred miles above your head.
01:15We've basically turned low Earth orbit into a junkyard, and commercial planes are flying just beneath it.
01:23It's like cruising down the highway while someone dumps metal scraps from a bridge overhead.
01:28It might miss you, until it doesn't.
01:31So what exactly is all this flying trash?
01:34It's called space junk.
01:36Basically, all the stuff we once shot into orbit that's now just floating uselessly around up there.
01:42Drifting, waiting to lose enough speed to come back to Earth.
01:46Think non-functioning satellites, spent rocket boosters, metal fragments from past missions, and the occasional wrench or bolt lost during a spacewalk.
01:56Right now, researchers say there are over 2,300 rocket bodies still circling our planet.
02:03And that's just the big stuff.
02:05In total, we're tracking tens of thousands of objects larger than 4 inches, and possibly millions of tiny pieces too small to see, but large enough to cause serious damage.
02:17Here's the scary bit.
02:19This junk zips around Earth at the speed of 17,000 miles per hour.
02:24That's fast enough to turn even a paint chip into a flying projectile.
02:29A piece the size of a coin could pierce a spacecraft or an airplane like paper.
02:35Most junk burns up in a fiery goodbye, but sometimes, a stubborn chunk survives the fall.
02:42So far, no commercial airplane has been struck by falling space debris.
02:46Lucky us.
02:47Or lucky you.
02:49I don't fly that often, but luck doesn't last forever.
02:53There have already been plenty of close calls.
02:56Large chunks of junk have survived re-entry and crash-landed on Earth, sometimes near homes, farms, or even highways.
03:05In one case, a pressurized metal fuel tank from a rocket landed in Texas.
03:10In another, a long metal panel dropped into a remote field in Australia.
03:16In 2022, the situation became super serious for a few hours.
03:21Spain and France temporarily shut down parts of their airspace due to an uncontrolled re-entry of a Chinese rocket.
03:29Over 600 flights were delayed because no one could be certain where that chunk of metal might fall.
03:35That was the first time in history that air travel was interrupted because of space debris.
03:40And if current trends continue, it probably won't be the last.
03:45Now, picture that over the U.S. on a holiday weekend.
03:49Jam-packed airports.
03:50Thousands of flights.
03:51And suddenly, sorry folks, we might have some heat-resistant screws coming from space.
03:58Flights will be resumed soon.
04:00The problem is that re-entries can't always be predicted with pinpoint accuracy.
04:05Agencies often get just a few hours' notice, and the impact zone could stretch across hundreds of miles.
04:12So, aviation officials face a tough choice.
04:15Close huge chunks of airspace, or roll the dice with thousands of passengers in the sky.
04:21According to recent research, some of the world's busiest airspaces already face a 26% annual chance of being affected by an uncontrolled re-entry.
04:31That's more than one in four.
04:34And not because anyone's being reckless.
04:36It's just because the numbers are exploding.
04:40Over the past decade, the number of objects in low Earth orbit has doubled.
04:45And here's the real danger.
04:47The more crowded space becomes, the higher the chance that debris collides with more debris.
04:53Creating the even more debris.
04:56It's called Kessler Syndrome.
04:58A kind of orbital domino effect where one collision triggers another, and another, until entire orbits become unusable.
05:07And with companies like SpaceX and national space agencies launching more and more stuff into space, we could be setting the stage for exactly that.
05:15Meanwhile, back on Earth, we're flying more than ever.
05:19Commercial air traffic has more than doubled since 2000.
05:22That means more people in the air, more planes in flight paths, and more chances for a tragic overlap between something falling and something flying.
05:33And when that moment comes, there may be no warning.
05:36And if that moment ever comes, we probably wouldn't even see it.
05:40I mean, before it hits the news.
05:42Even with all our fancy satellites, spotting a tiny metal thing dropping out of orbit is nearly impossible.
05:49But again, most debris doesn't make it to the ground.
05:52As these objects plummet through Earth's atmosphere, the intense heat from reentry usually causes them to burn up completely.
05:59That's especially true for smaller or lightweight pieces like aluminum fragments or insulation.
06:05Also, even when stuff does survive reentry, a mid-air collision with a plane is extremely rare.
06:11Planes cruise at 35,000 feet, while falling space junk comes screaming down from hundreds of miles up, whizzing past that height in seconds.
06:20The chances of a plane being in the exact spot at the exact time are incredibly slim.
06:25It's like tossing a dart from space and trying to hit a mosquito flying across a football field, while blindfolded.
06:32The timing, the alignment, the odds? Practically zero.
06:36But with more darts and more mosquitoes?
06:39That's why experts are still worried.
06:42The amount of space junk is growing fast.
06:45More stuff falling means more chances for something to go wrong.
06:48And while the odds of a direct strike remain low, the risk of aerospace disruption is very real.
06:56So, can't we just clean it up?
06:59You'd think that with all our high-tech satellites, space stations, and reusable rockets, someone would have invented a cosmic vacuum cleaner by now.
07:07But space cleanup is way more complicated than it sounds.
07:11For one, the junk is moving fast.
07:14Snagging this stuff is like trying to catch bullets, while being strapped to a rocket yourself.
07:20There's also the size problem.
07:22Some pieces are too small to track, and others are too big to ignore.
07:26Plus, no one can agree whose job it is to clean up the mess.
07:30If a country launches a satellite that later breaks apart and becomes debris, is it their job to retrieve it?
07:36So far, no one really knows.
07:39Okay, when said like that, it sounds impossible even to me.
07:43But I have faith in scientists.
07:46However, it's not all bad news.
07:49The European Space Agency is pushing for a zero-debris policy for future missions.
07:54They want every satellite and rocket launched to have a built-in plan for getting out of orbit safely.
08:00Meanwhile, scientists are working on robotic grippers, basically giant space claws that could one day grab junk and fling it into a controlled burn in Earth's atmosphere.
08:10This goes to show that the problem is understood, and while difficult, the cleanup is not impossible, if we address it in time.
08:18The sooner we start taking it seriously, the better the odds that your next flight stays boring and uneventful.
08:25You know, the way flights are supposed to be.
08:28Unless you sit by the window, then it's breathtaking and awe-inspiring.
08:32So the next time you're staring out your airplane window at 35,000 feet, relax.
08:38You're more likely to spill your coffee than get hit by space jump, or upgraded to first class by accident.
08:44Scientists, engineers, and even robot claws are already on the case.
08:49Space might be messy now, but we've cleaned up bigger messes before.
08:53And with the right moves, we can keep the skies safe for everyone.
08:57And who knows, maybe in a few decades, you'll be booking a window seat for a flight out into space.
09:03Just make sure it comes with asteroid or junk insurance.
09:10That's it for today.
09:11So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
09:16Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side.
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