According to spacesymposium.org, over 100 years ago, the first generation of space pioneers took the first steps to make space exploration the reality we know today. Ever since then, the amount of space debris – defunct human-made objects in space – principally in Earth orbit – no longer serves a useful function, has been on the rise. So, have you ever wondered what it takes to trap humans on the earth?
Well, this surge in the number of space junk around the planet could potentially lead to what is known as Kessler Effect whereby there is too much junk in outer space to be safe to fly out. As a result, NASA has been reported to be considering the use of lasers, fired through telescopes, to deflect the piles of space rubbish gathering around the earth and further prevent collision with communication satellites or even the International Space Station. The call to action has been spurred on by several recent near misses despite several predictions of the possibility of a Kessler Effect caused by space debris dating back to more than 30 years ago.
While previous approaches to dealing with the problem involved using very expensive military-style lasers to destroy space junk, a team led by James Mason, NASA space scientist, says that gently moving junk off course could be a better alternative. The idea builds on the theory that “photons in laser beam carry a small amount of momentum which, under the right circumstances, are capable of nudging an object in space and slow it down by 0.04 inches per second”. Thus, firing a laser at a piece of junk for a few hours should be able to alter its course by up to 650ft a day, to avoid potential collision with a space station or satellite.
However, it would appear that nudging will only be a temporary solution as it would only succeed in diverting and not particularly destroying the rubbish in Space. Presently, about 20,000 pieces of debris, most of which are discarded bits of spacecraft or debris from collisions, are being monitored in low-Earth orbit. Overall, there are an estimated 370,000 pieces of space junk, mostly from old rockets, abandoned satellites, and missile shrapnel, floating in the Earth’s orbit.
Talking Point
Are you concerned with the amount of- and risk of fallen- space junk?
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Ava
April 5, 2011 at 12:58 am
And we all wonder why our Ozone is going south. How did so much “junk” get into space in the first place? Someone should start a new campaign that is “Green Space, Green Earth.”
Mag
April 5, 2011 at 9:44 pm
Too bad we can’t take a note from old video games and destroy them with lasers. It would be fun and helpful all at the same time, however, I’m sure no government would fund such a project.
Luqman
April 14, 2011 at 10:08 am
I am worry about the amount of space junk, I hope something can be do to it as soon as possible. On the other hand, I believe the more we made life more easy, the more it become complicated, my God help us.
Admin
April 14, 2011 at 5:17 pm
Thanks for the comments.
Jude
May 28, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Hello. I’m an English teacher in Korea and developing a textbook for high school learners in Korea. One of the chapters deals with space junk and I found this article while searching for the photos to use. And, I found the photo really nice. May I ask if I use the photo for the book?
Jes
April 27, 2011 at 11:27 pm
I guess our pollution and waste goes past the earth’s surface and now into space. However, if we’re leaning more towards changing the direction of these “stuff” in order to protect them from hitting our satellites and space stations, then how would that affect the overall universe? Simply pushing off the clutter away from earth doesn’t seem like a good enough solution.