Space Junk

Does anyone ever happen what happens to the rocket blasters that launch space shuttles out of our atmosphere? Where does the debris go? BBC recently made an article on the debris that is left in our outer atmosphere. While this has been an ongoing issue, the amount of debris is piling up to reach critical levels.

 Recent statistics has reported that there are more than twenty-two thousand items being tracked in our atmosphere right now, but these are only the larger pieces. These larger pieces often smash into each other to create smaller pieces. Some speculate that that there may be as many as five-hundred thousand particles ranging from one-ten centimeters, and even more that are smaller than one centimeter. All of this is the leftover of over fifty years of space exploration from old rockets to flecks of paint. All of these particles are traveling rapidly around the atmosphere--several kilometers per second--and this can cause unnecessary hazards for future space missions. Even some space stations have had to take measures to avoid some of these projectiles to prevent damage to the hull of the station.

 

What can be done about this problem? Some have speculated to make a large net, or harpoon to capture old satellites to bring back to Earth, but that would cause more debris than actually collect. Others have determined that robotics that can collect the debris and return to Earth seem more plausible, but the technologies required for it seem pretty far off. The German Space Agency is working on a project called DEOS that could possibly reduce this problem, but they will not be able to start a mission until 2015. Different companies will send satellites for communication purposes, and these satellites will have enough propulsion to send themselves into orbit away from Earth. Problems with these solutions would be cost because equipment for space travel is expensive, so there will be a need to find low-tech and low-cost solutions soon.

There has been an average of seventy-six satellites sent into orbit every year, and the numbers keep on rising every year. It is estimated that 1,145 satellites will be built for launch in this next decade. We need to find ways to prevent these satellites from crashing into each other and debris. Hopefully we can find a solution to reduce the debris in our atmosphere in the next 25 years.

Here is my link.