Space debris
hideSpace debris or orbital debris, also called space junk and space waste, are the objects in orbit around Earth created by humans, and that no longer serve any useful purpose. They consist of everything from entire spent rocket stages and defunct satellites to explosion fragments, paint flakes, dust, and slag from solid rocket motors, coolant released by RORSAT nuclear powered satellites, deliberate insertion of small needles, and other small particles. Clouds of very small particles may cause erosive damage, like sandblasting. Space "junk" has become a growing concern in recent years, since collisions at orbital velocities can be highly damaging to functional satellites and can also produce even more space debris in the process. This is called the Kessler Syndrome. Some spacecraft, like the International Space Station, are now armored to mitigate damage from this hazard. Astronauts on space-walks are also vulnerable.
The first major space debris collision was on February 10, 2009 at 16:56 UTC. The deactivated Kosmos-2251 and an operational Iridium 33 collided 789 kilometres (490 mi) over northern Siberia. The relative speed of impact was about 11.7 kilometres per second (7.3 mi/s), or approximately 42,120 kilometres per hour (26,170 mph). Both satellites were destroyed. The collision scattered considerable debris, which poses an elevated risk to spacecraft.
For more information about Space debris, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with space junk
Station Prepares For New Spacecraft, Monitors Debris
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 06, 2009 |
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The station crew prepared Friday for the arrival of the Russian Mini-Research Module 2 (MRM2) which is scheduled for launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on Nov. 10. The MRM2 will arrive at the ...
Bad weather forces shuttle to skip 1st landing try
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Sep 10, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Bad weather has delayed space shuttle Discovery's homecoming.
Space shuttle undocks from space station
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Sep 08, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Space shuttle Discovery has left the international space station.
Space crews say goodbye, shuttle departing Tuesday
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Sep 08, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The farewell hugs and handshakes are over. Now all that's left for the crews of the space shuttle and space station is the release of the docking latches.
Astronauts relish space's international food court
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Sep 05, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (4) |
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(AP) -- When it comes to grabbing a bite to eat, the international space station is living up to its first name.
Big chunk of space junk misses space station
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Sep 04, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A big piece of space junk safely sped by the international space station and shuttle Discovery, missing by less than a mile.
Spacewalk performed despite approaching space junk
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Sep 03, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Two astronauts stepped out on a spacewalk to install a new tank of space station coolant Thursday as a large piece of orbiting junk headed their way.
NASA analyzing junk that could threaten astronauts
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Sep 02, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A piece of space junk was drifting toward the shuttle-station complex and its 13 astronauts Wednesday, though NASA officials said the threat would not delay an upcoming spacewalk.
Astronauts inspect space shuttle ahead of landing
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jul 29, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Space shuttle Endeavour's astronauts are inspecting their ship to make sure it's safe for Friday's landing.
Not space junk yet: Mars rovers carry on despite age, ailments
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Jun 28, 2009 |
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In one of the most remarkable engineering feats of our time, the aging Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity are still taking orders and sending home pictures more than five years after they were supposed to ...
Let there be light: Camera hooked up for Hubble
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
May 14, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A pair of spacewalking astronauts overpowered a stubborn bolt and successfully installed a new piano-sized camera in the Hubble Space Telescope on Thursday, the first step to making the observatory ...
Astronauts grab Hubble, prepare for tough repairs
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
May 13, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Atlantis' astronauts grabbed the Hubble Space Telescope on Wednesday, then quickly set their sights on the difficult, dangerous and unprecedented spacewalking repairs they will attempt over the next ...
Space junk raises risks for Hubble repair mission
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
May 12, 2009 |
3.1 / 5 (7) |
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(AP) -- Space shuttle Atlantis is now in a rough orbital neighborhood - a place littered with thousands of pieces of space junk zipping around the Earth at nearly 20,000 mph. There are more pieces of shattered ...
Astronauts making one last house call to Hubble
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
May 07, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The Hubble Space Telescope is about to get one last house call. And never before have the risks been higher.
No sweat: Shuttle's exercise gear on the fritz
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Mar 17, 2009 |
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Space junk from a Soviet satellite no longer poses a threat to Discovery shuttle, but astronauts face a vexing new problem: the spacecraft's exercise equipment is on the fritz, NASA said Monday.
