Space Junk and Collisions thread

User avatar
wjfox
Site Admin
Posts: 8663
Joined: Sat May 15, 2021 6:09 pm
Location: London, UK
Contact:

Space Junk and Collisions thread

Post by wjfox »

Russian anti-satellite missile test draws condemnation

4 hours ago

The US has condemned Russia for conducting a "dangerous and irresponsible" missile test that it says endangered the crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The test blew up one of Russia's own satellites, creating debris that forced the ISS crew to shelter in capsules.

The station currently has seven crew members on board - four Americans, a German and two Russians.

The space station orbits at an altitude of about 420km (260 miles).

"Earlier today, the Russian Federation recklessly conducted a destructive satellite test of a direct ascent anti-satellite missile against one of its own satellites," US state department spokesman Ned Price said at a briefing. "The test has so far generated over 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris and hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris that now threaten the interests of all nations."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59299101


Image
Credit: Reuters
User avatar
wjfox
Site Admin
Posts: 8663
Joined: Sat May 15, 2021 6:09 pm
Location: London, UK
Contact:

Re: Space Junk and Collisions thread

Post by wjfox »

Just a reminder of what this could potentially lead to...

(in a worst-case scenario)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome

Full-screen mode recommended! –


User avatar
erowind
Posts: 543
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 5:42 am

Re: Space Junk and Collisions thread

Post by erowind »

That was incredibly stupid and does not lend confidence to nuclear armament -__-
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6474
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Space Junk and Collisions thread

Post by caltrek »

Kessler Syndrome and the Space Debris Problem
by Mike Wall
November 15, 2021

https://www.space.com/kessler-syndrome-space-debris

Introduction:
(Space.com) The Kessler Syndrome is a phenomenon in which the amount of junk in orbit around Earth reaches a point where it just creates more and more space debris, causing big problems for satellites, astronauts and mission planners.

Consider this scenario: The destruction of a dead spy satellite spawns a swarm of debris in Earth orbit, which wreaks ever-increasing havoc as it zooms around our planet.

The cloud destroys a number of communications satellites, generating more and more debris with every violent collision. It takes out the iconic Hubble Space Telescope and a NASA space shuttle, killing several crewmembers aboard the winged vehicle. It then lines the International Space Station (ISS) up in its crosshairs, destroying the $100 billion orbiting lab with a hail of fast-flying shrapnel.

This dramatic scene is fictional, of course; it's pulled from the award-winning 2013 sci-fi film "Gravity." But many satellite operators, mission planners and exploration advocates worry that it could be a dark window into a future that's all too real, thanks to the Kessler Syndrome.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6474
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Space Junk and Collisions thread

Post by caltrek »

I am a little too lazy this morning to separate out in, the following article, the new and different from the already stated. For those that just can't get enough of this stuff:

Russian Anti-satellite Test Reveal Dangers of Space Junk
by Miriam Kramer and Jacob Knutson
November 16, 2021

https://www.axios.com/russia-anti-satel ... 076c1.html

Introduction:
(Axios) A Russian anti-satellite weapon test this week demonstrated just how extreme the space junk threat is in orbit today.

Why it matters: As space gets more crowded, events like a missile destroying a satellite, an explosion of a defunct spacecraft or a satellite-to-satellite attack could create debris that disrupts communications and endangers people in space.

Driving the news: The U.S. confirmed on Monday that Russia destroyed one of its own satellites in orbit using a weapon launched from the ground.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
CaptainSpike75
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2021 2:00 am

Re: Space Junk and Collisions thread

Post by CaptainSpike75 »

We really do need to clear out all that junk.
CaptainSpike75, Youtuber and genius
User avatar
wjfox
Site Admin
Posts: 8663
Joined: Sat May 15, 2021 6:09 pm
Location: London, UK
Contact:

Re: Space Junk and Collisions thread

Post by wjfox »

weatheriscool
Posts: 12727
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Space Junk and Collisions thread

Post by weatheriscool »

Using lasers and 'tow-trucks', Japanese firms target space debris
https://phys.org/news/2022-07-lasers-to ... space.html
by Kyoko HASEGAWA
From laser beams to galactic tow-truck services, start-ups in Japan are trying to imagine ways to deal space debris.
From laser beams and wooden satellites to galactic tow-truck services, start-ups in Japan are trying to imagine ways to deal with a growing environmental problem: space debris.

Junk like used satellites, parts of rockets and wreckage from collisions has been piling up since the space age began, with the problem accelerating in recent decades.

"We're entering an era when many satellites will be launched one after another. Space will become more and more crowded," said Miki Ito, general manager at Astroscale, a company dedicated to "space sustainability".

"There are simulations suggesting space won't be usable if we go on like this," she told AFP. "So we must improve the celestial environment before it's too late."

The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates that around one million pieces of debris larger than a centimeter—big enough to "disable a spacecraft"—are in Earth's orbit.
User avatar
caltrek
Posts: 6474
Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

Re: Space Junk and Collisions thread

Post by caltrek »

Space Rocket Junk Could Have Deadly Consequences Unless Governments Act
July 12 , 2022

Introduction:
(EurekAlert) The re-entry of abandoned stages of rockets left in orbit from space launches have a six to 10 per cent chance of severely injuring or killing a human being in the next decade, according to a new UBC study.

Researchers say governments need to take collective action and mandate that rocket stages are guided safely back to Earth after their use, which could increase the cost of a launch, but potentially save lives.

“Is it permissible to regard the loss of human life as just a cost of doing business, or is it something that we should seek to protect when we can? And that’s the crucial point here: we can protect against this risk,” says lead author Dr. Michael Byers, professor in UBC’s department of political science.

When objects such as satellites are launched into space, they use rockets, parts of which are often left in orbit. If these leftover rocket stages have a low enough orbit, they can re-enter the atmosphere in an uncontrolled way. Most of the material will burn up in the atmosphere, but potentially lethal pieces can still hurtle towards the ground.
Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/958478

For the more technical article in Nature Astronomy: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-022-01718-8
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
weatheriscool
Posts: 12727
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 6:16 pm

Re: Space Junk and Collisions thread

Post by weatheriscool »

Scientists Experimenting With Actual Tractor Beam to Clean Up Space Junk
Once operational, their device could "essentially tug away the debris without ever touching it."
University of Colorado Boulder
Straight out of Star Trek
https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientist ... space-junk
A team of engineers is working on a real life "tractor beam," a staple device of spacefaring sci-fi that can push and pull objects at a distance without making contact.

Tantalizingly, their early design concepts seem to actually work, with the researchers calculating that they could move a several-ton object at an — admittedly very slow — pace of around 200 miles over two to three months.

"We're creating an attractive or repulsive electrostatic force," said Hanspeter Schaub, chair of the aerospace engineering department at University of Colorado Boulder, in a press release. "It's similar to the tractor beam you see in 'Star Trek,' although not nearly as powerful."

Although it's still a long way from being a space-worthy prototype, a real life tractor beam could eventually be an invaluable tool to help clean up the space junk that pollutes the Earth's increasingly crowded orbits — not to mention one of those rare moments when actual tech seems to be making inroads toward golden-era sci-fi.
Post Reply