Does the Space Junk we produce, or our Space exploration (I mean both right now, and like in the future on a massive scale) take away from the total mass of the earth?
2007-07-20 02:11:33 · 7 answers · asked by Casimir Effect 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Theoretically it could, should be decide to send massive amounts of refuse into orbit, However it would have to go into deep orbit, otherwise it would come right back into our atmosphere.. You also have asteroid debris entering our atmosphere all the time....So if you think about it, we should be GAINING mass all the time.
2007-07-20 02:23:38 · answer #1 · answered by Linderfan 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Anything that is still in orbit is bound to the Earth-Moon system (total contribution on the remainder of the solar system remains the same). Only what escapes is lost.
The Earth's mass is almost 6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 tonnes (6x10^24 kg). The mass increases by several tonnes a day from cosmic dust (plus the occasional meteorite and tiny comet) falling in from space. We also lose a few tonnes of light gases from the outer atmosphere (molecules heated sufficiently that they achieve escape velocity).
In addition, we may have sent close to a hundred tonnes of probes that have escaped the Earth-Moon system.
Let us say that in our whole space exploration history, we have sent out as much as 600 tonnes.
600 / 6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 =
0.00000000000000001%
I think we can afford a few more tonnes.
2007-07-20 02:25:47 · answer #2 · answered by Raymond 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most of it comes crashing back down eventually, and besides that, the earth gains a few hundred tons of material every day from tiny micro meteorites that make it down to the surface from the George Bush Gas Belt.
2007-07-20 02:16:33 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Such things decrease the earth's mass but by an infinitesimal amount in comparison to its total mass.
2007-07-20 02:17:23 · answer #4 · answered by miyuki & kyojin 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sure, every time we launch a satellite into orbit the mass of the Earth decreases.
2007-07-20 02:15:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
first of all mass is not weight. mass on the earth won't shrink unless u disintegrate parts of the earth.
2007-07-20 05:26:19 · answer #6 · answered by Zero 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, but infalling matter would more than make up for it.
It's on the order of tons per year.
2007-07-20 15:07:08 · answer #7 · answered by Irv S 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋