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Space junk - Chaos in space
By Anthony Ashard
There is approximately 19,000 man-made objects floating around in orbit around Earth. The biggest problem with this debris also referred to as 'space junk', is that no one knows just how to predict the full risk they present. This means that not only are there thousands of active functioning satellites in orbit but they share that space with 'space junk' that could potentially destroy any one of them. On an even more devastating note they could also potentially create a chain reaction of destruction where orbiting satellites collide with junk and then with other satellites causing a chain reaction destroying many millions of dollars in equipment. There are talks about how we can reduce the amount of space junk there is in orbit, including such devices as massive balloons with a sticky surface all over it, collecting the smaller particles. Most of the junk floating around is about the size of golf balls travelling at very high velocities, that makes them a very dangerous threat to other orbiting hardware. Another scary aspect to all this hardware spinning around in space is that more than sixty nuclear powered devices have been launched into orbit so far. These nuclear powered devices present a real problem when they fall out of orbit and back to earth. In one case On January 24th 1978, after suffering a technical malfunction, the Soviet satellite Cosmos 954 disintegrated over the Northern Territories in Canada, however the nuclear core didn't disintegrate on re-entry, creating a massive clean-up operation. In a recent report is was said that if the space debris gets much worse, it could make it unsafe even hazardous to travel in the space around earth for fear of collision with the debris. Also consider some of the people who actually live under the flight paths of rockets that take off and then eject fuel tanks, solid fuel boosters rockets and their casings. Ouch!
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Contributor's Note
Space junk is becoming a major concern for NASA scientists, who are desperately thinking of ways to clean up the ever increasing rubbish that floats around in orbit causing havoc for Multiple millions of dollars of hardware and astronaut safety.
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Space debris that landed in Saudi Arabia
Orbital Debris computer simulation
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I assume that most if not all this junk floating around in space is caused by man? If so no surprise there then. Surely only a matter of time before a big accident in space takes place. Maybe they need a garbage collector in space as you say.
 | | odls Feb 18, 2010 07:43 | |
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
They are thinking of ways to clean up some of this mess, and yes it is 100% man-made space junk, comprising of debris from broken and already collided equipment from over the last four decades of space exploration.
Airplanes have the same issues with their "blue ice". Our history is such that we never seem to truly learn until a disaster occurs.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Yes I agree with you 'Blue Ice' is a major concern and a little publicised problem. For those who do not know:
Blue Ice is a mixture of human waste and liquid disinfectant that freezes at high altitude. The name comes from the blue colour of the disinfectant used in commercial aeroplane toilets.
Way to keep the ET's from visiting...Not only do we clutter our planet, we clutter up the "yard", too.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
As I've said before and am in agreement with you, we are slowly and surely destroying the very planet we depend upon for our survival.
Yes, that would certainly be an "OUCH" if that thing in your photo fell down on one of us!
I am assuming that most of the junk is metalic in nature. Large electromagnets sent into space could do the trick. Then retrieve the magnets
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Perhaps you could send your ideas to NASA because they seem to be running out of feasible solutions to this ever increasing problem, and it's safe to assume that allot of the metals that have been sent into space by man will be non-ferrous alloys not steel.
Most of us think of pollution on earth, not in space. Space junk is a real threat to the whole world.
very interesting! I had never heard of the balloon idea to collect some of it. thanks for posting.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
So Chicken Little was right then ... The sky really is falling. Over sixty nuclear powered devices is scary. It sounds like the space station is in the path of some space junk. I hope it's not a nuclear powered piece of junk.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
What's more is that there are more and more satellites launched every week into space, unfortunately more go up than do come down, it's surely inevitable that a cataclysmic chain reaction like domino's will happen. what then, telecommunications WILL be affected along with Global GPS even? TOO SCARY TO THINK ABOUT!!!
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This intel was contributed by Puniksem
Puniksem
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