H/T Poorshad Jafari There are more than 12 000 trackable items of #space #debris larger than 10 cm orbiting #Earth, including derelict satellites, spent upper stages and fragments of old missions – all presenting a clear and present danger to current missions. The number of smaller, untraceable objects is in the #millions: #hundreds of #thousands of 1–10 cm pieces and literally millions of smaller particles. At orbital speeds, a 1 cm #nut can strike with the force of a hand grenade. Today, international regulations state that minimal #debris should be left to propagate within heavily trafficked orbits, especially the low orbits favoured by Earth-observing missions and some classes of communication #satellite, not to mention manned #spacecraft and the International Space Station. For these orbits, extending up to about 2000 km above Earth, the requirement is that satellites are removed within 25 years of ending their lives. Either they should end up at an altitude where atmospheric drag gradually induces reentry, or alternatively be despatched up to quieter ‘graveyard orbits’. Image: ESA
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 05:49:53 +0000
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