What is space junk and why is it a problem? https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-space-junk-and-why-is-it-a-problem.html
Since the dawn of the space age in the 1950s, we have launched thousands of rockets and sent even more satellites into orbit. Many are still there, and we face an ever-increasing risk of collision as we launch more.
As long as humans have been exploring space, we’ve also been creating a bit of a mess. Orbiting our planet are thousands of dead satellites, along with bits of debris from all the rockets we’ve launched over the years. This could pose an issue one day.
Space junk, or space debris, is any piece of machinery or debris left by humans in space.
It can refer to big objects such as dead satellites that have failed or been left in orbit at the end of their mission. It can also refer to smaller things, like bits of debris or paint flecks that have fallen off a rocket.
Fortunately, at the moment, space junk doesn’t pose a huge risk to our exploration efforts. The biggest danger it poses is to other satellites in orbit.
These satellites have to move out of the way of all this incoming space junk to make sure they don’t get hit and potentially damaged or destroyed.
In total, across all satellites, hundreds of collision avoidance manoeuvres are performed every year, including by the International Space Station (ISS), where astronauts live.
The ISS has to carry out collision avoidance manoeuvres to avoid getting damaged by space junk. Credit: NASA https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-space-junk-and-why-is-it-a-problem.html
Related Readings :
Space Junk
The amount of trash in Earth orbit, from spent rocket stages, broken satellites and micrometeoroids, is growing. Scientists are working on methods to combat the threat of space junk and orbital debris collisions.
Related Topics: International Space Station, Incredible Space Tech, Military Space, NASA https://www.space.com/topics/space-junk
Space Debris and Human Spacecraft
Orbital Debris and Human Spacecraft
More than 27,000 pieces of orbital debris, or “space junk,” are tracked by the Department of Defense’s global Space Surveillance Network (SSN) sensors. Much more debris — too small to be tracked, but large enough to threaten human spaceflight and robotic missions — exists in the near-Earth space environment. Since both the debris and spacecraft are traveling at extremely high speeds (approximately 15,700 mph in low Earth orbit), an impact of even a tiny piece of orbital debris with a spacecraft could create big problems.
The rising population of space debris increases the potential danger to all space vehicles, including to the International Space Station and other spacecraft with humans aboard, such as SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
NASA takes the threat of collisions with space debris seriously and has a long-standing set of guidelines on how to deal with each potential collision threat to the space station. These guidelines, part of a larger body of decision-making aids known as flight rules, specify when the expected proximity of a piece of debris increases the probability of a collision enough that evasive action or other precautions to ensure the safety of the crew are needed. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris.html
Space junk is a huge problem—and it’s only getting bigger
Hundreds of thousands of man-made objects are zipping around our planet—from dead satellites to errant nuts and bolts, putting our working satellites at risk. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/space-junk
US announces self-imposed ban on debris-creating ASAT tests
US government will not conduct any anti-satellite weapons tests that could damage space sustainability.
ASAT weapons – usually customized missiles launched from the ground or high altitudes via planes – can create huge debris clouds when tested on in-orbit machinery. Even a small piece of debris traveling at thousands of miles per hour in orbit can damage or potentially destroy other satellites. Most tracking is limited to pieces larger than 1cm, leading to an increasing number of avoidance manoeuvrers as more satellites are being launched. https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/us-announces-self-imposed-ban-on-debris-creating-asat-tests/
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