How many objects of "space junk" are in Earth's orbit? Dropped instruments, pieces of old satellites, rocket boosters? Why doesn't NASA implement a "clearance" program to get rid of this "pollution" before something bad happens?
2007-03-22 15:20:06 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Some 8500 objects are tracked on radar by the U.S. Government (I think it's the Space Command, which is a part of NORAD...).
These objects vary in size from paint chips off of boosters to, on one case, a spent Russian booster rocket that failed to reenter the atmosphere.
Some collisions are planned for - for example, every module in Station has several layers of protection, and there are emergency patch kits in every compartment.
There is an exact figure available, as well as the currrent orbital plot available from the web site listed below.
2007-03-22 15:44:52 · answer #1 · answered by edward_otto@sbcglobal.net 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Planning and executing missions to clean up all the space litter orbiting the earth would take more money, material, and manpower than all the previous space missions combined, from Sputnik to the present day. The task is almost impossible with the technology in existence.
It is much simpler to track this stuff, plot the orbits, and avoid any collisions.
2007-03-22 15:34:29 · answer #2 · answered by John H 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋