300,000 pieces of space junk...amazing

Discussion in 'Science' started by OldManOnFire, Jan 20, 2015.

  1. OldManOnFire

    OldManOnFire Well-Known Member

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    Reference; http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/to...biting-earth-and-its-a-big-problem/ar-AA8nZOo

    Excerpt;

    Right now, there are more than 300,000 pieces of debris larger than a centimeter in diameter orbiting Earth.

    They range from tiny shards of metal to deactivated, decades-old satellites. Most are shrapnel from discarded rocket stages that have exploded after use, or satellites that have collided. Colloquially, all this debris is usually called "space junk."

    Together, the Department of Defense and NASA track the orbits of the 19,000 or so pieces of junk that are larger than a softball, alerting satellite operators when any satellite — including the International Space Station — is in danger, so they can move it.

    But doing so takes time and resources. What's more, the cloud of debris has been steadily growing over time, and some scientists worry that if we're not careful, we could trigger a chain reaction: More space junk raises the chance of collisions, which in turn can lead to even more debris, until the sheer volume of space junk makes parts of space unusable.


    Space around Earth is surely a very very large area...but with 300K pieces of junk and growing, the odds seem to suggest it's only a matter of time before this stuff causes an issue. Gotta wonder how dependent we have become on communications and data and surveillance made possible by myriad satellites? Major issues can jeopardize national security, the economy, etc.

    If there is such a thing as evil extraterrestrials who wish to take over the Earth...all they need to do is neutralize all of our satellites. Even another nation on Earth, with the technology and desire, could set out to destroy our satellites. What about giant solar flares or other electromagnetic storms?
     
    waltky and (deleted member) like this.
  2. waltky

    waltky Well-Known Member

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    Did Chinese missile or satellite crash in Burma?...

    Mysterious metal debris crash-lands in northern Myanmar, state media report
    Sat, Nov 12, 2016 - A large metal cylinder thought to be from a Chinese satellite or aircraft fell from the sky and slammed into a jade mining area in northern Myanmar, state media reported yesterday.
     
  3. OldManOnFire

    OldManOnFire Well-Known Member

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    Just some fireworks that run amok...
     

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