Space Debris Becoming Dangerous
- 11 years ago
Space debris are becoming dangerous.
Scientists estimate that if something isn’t done about the quantity of manmade debris floating through space, massive collisions will start occurring every 5 to 9 years.
Abandoned equipment like launching pads and non-working satellites comprise the larger pieces of floating junk, but NASA estimates there are over 500 hundred thousand particles roughly the size of a marble out there, with millions more too small to be tracked.
Low-Earth orbit vulnerability is causing the greatest amount of concern as it is where most observation data missions operate.
Researchers noted that their outlook is optimistic and the reality is likely far worse.
Best-case scenario results assume the debris will regularly be cleaned up under the 25-year removal limit.
Researchers admit that at present compliance to the rule is falling short.
There are now about 20 thousand objects larger than a softball being tracked. To date, only a handful of them have fallen prey to collisions with debris.
Nonetheless, putting a satellite in orbit costs anywhere from a few hundred million to over a billion dollars.
Scientists estimate that if something isn’t done about the quantity of manmade debris floating through space, massive collisions will start occurring every 5 to 9 years.
Abandoned equipment like launching pads and non-working satellites comprise the larger pieces of floating junk, but NASA estimates there are over 500 hundred thousand particles roughly the size of a marble out there, with millions more too small to be tracked.
Low-Earth orbit vulnerability is causing the greatest amount of concern as it is where most observation data missions operate.
Researchers noted that their outlook is optimistic and the reality is likely far worse.
Best-case scenario results assume the debris will regularly be cleaned up under the 25-year removal limit.
Researchers admit that at present compliance to the rule is falling short.
There are now about 20 thousand objects larger than a softball being tracked. To date, only a handful of them have fallen prey to collisions with debris.
Nonetheless, putting a satellite in orbit costs anywhere from a few hundred million to over a billion dollars.