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Space debris and another realm we've thoroughly polluted

By Allan Chochinov - February 7, 2007

in Tech

In case you missed it in yesterday's NYTimes, there was a particularly disturbing article on space debris, unintended consequences, and short-sighted design. Here are the first 4 paragraphs. (The rest is just as bad.)

For decades, space experts have worried that a speeding bit of orbital debris might one day smash a large spacecraft into hundreds of pieces and start a chain reaction, a slow cascade of collisions that would expand for centuries, spreading chaos through the heavens.

In the last decade or so, as scientists came to agree that the number of objects in orbit had surpassed a critical mass--or, in their terms, the critical spatial density, the point at which a chain reaction becomes inevitable--they grew more anxious.

Early this year, after a half-century of growth, the federal list of detectable objects (four inches wide or larger) reached 10,000, including dead satellites, spent rocket stages, a camera, a hand tool and junkyards of whirling debris left over from chance explosions and destructive tests.

Now, experts say, China's test on Jan. 11 of an antisatellite rocket that shattered an old satellite into hundreds of large fragments means the chain reaction will most likely start sooner. If their predictions are right, the cascade could put billions of dollars' worth of advanced satellites at risk and eventually threaten to limit humanitys reach for the stars.

Photo from The New York Times

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Ole

16 years ago

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-> Will: Is is certainly not true that all debris burn up on reentry. Please study the topic before posting - someone could by chance read your stuff and propagate it.
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MD

17 years ago

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Will is missing the point. A chain reaction is imminent, and will result in a 'shield' around the planet, limiting the abilty for any craft to reach space. Not to mention the destruction of now existing satellites used for communication, GPS, etc.

Environmental paranoia? I don't think so.

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Peter Hanley

17 years ago

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I'm sure it's neither as minor as the first post believes or as dire as the second post.

However, it also seems like something that could be cleaned up a bit.... maybe shoot a satellite with a giant magnet on it to do a few thousand orbits that would then fire some rockets and break out of earths atmosphere and head for the asteroid belt?
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Patrick Austin

17 years ago

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LOL Humanity! YOU SUCK.

Seriously, how sci-fi screwed up would it be if we were trapped inside a whirling death cloud of our own making? We are such a stupid species. :)
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Will

17 years ago

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More 'sky is falling' environmental nonsense. Yes there are particles in space. All of which will burn up on re-entry. There's less 'trash' in orbit than on any given city block. Breathe people
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