Well, there is a lot of space junk in various orbits. Some of it dates from the early pioneering years of space exploration. Some of it from commercial uses, i.e. relay, weather, and spy satelites that are too big to burn up clean - so they are nudged up to a higher orbit when they are no longer serviceable - IF they are able to be nudged (to be the problem of future generations).
Some are simply components of launch vehicles and everything else is residue of collisions & test detonations/collisions. But still junk - some just sitting up there, some coasting about at various trajectories.
Occasionally bits or chunks will flyby or collide with operational platforms; active satelites, the international space station, the space shuttle & other space transport vehicles.
The space junk is the problem.
Is there any plans to do something about the larger bits that could be manipulated for proper disposal or staging for recycling?
But what about the little bits? Its the Little Bits that do a lot of damage when they eventually impact something still in use or otherwise "occupied - with people".
I know it isn't practical to go out and pick up those little bits.
But how about deploying something like a huge sponge that will absorb the kinetic energy of an impact as well as retain the objects that strike it?
Placing Junk Sponges in front of and behind the orbital pathways of important operational projects would be some insurance against clamity as well as doing something to collect those nasty little bits. Yeah, I agree -who is going to take responsibility for this junk?This is an issue. The little bits and the big bits (it doesn't matter) should not be in space -period. Be responsible. If this is technology then it is laughable. Why make a satelite out of materials that cannot be contained properly and not have a plan as to how to get them back to Earth and dispose of them properly.....technology ? That is not technology it is not even using half a brain. and perhaps for those who don't believe that such things as space junk (we should call it -careless humans polluting space after they have already polluted earth- junk) is a major concern, they should remind themselves of the fact that at one time sub-nuclear wastes were not thought to be a major problem for future generations but in fact, the particles from the blasts cause the earth to hold in heat and not be able to release it properly supposedly. And probably atomic wastes are a technical contributor to global warming today according to some global warming speculators. Space junk should not be in space at all and there should not even be a phrase for this, it should never even have existed. It is not tomorrow's problem, and those that call it this are delusional.
The problem here is foresight, people need to use it. Be responsible for the next generation, don't just arbitrarily reproduce and call it preparation. DON'T cause the problem and others in the future will not have to deal with the problem. DON'T put it off and say that right now it does not matter--- of coarse it does. Every action has a reaction, and on earth we are now seeing first hand the reaction of pollution which was done by the people during the last 50 years---it is destroying the very air that we breath. DON'T be ignorant... It is common knowledge not Astro-physics. According to the below sources there are some plans and more being made to prevent future build up of space junk, but manufacturing something and making sure that it does not pollute should go hand in hand.
http://www.globalwarming.org/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/...
RE: Milo
12/15/2007
milo- The SCIENTISTS from these sites say that Space Junk is a problem... One of these sites is the much reputed National Geographic. I did NOT make these websites ~ National geographic, for one, says its a problem......a n d I just read what you wrote about danger to astronauts Milo and I am infuriated that you wrote that the only thing that space junk could hurt are astronauts!!! Isn't that enough? Astronauts are working out there and Milo you don't think they are worth taking an extra effort to be sure that their journeys turn out well? I am disgusted that you seem to think that they are not worth saving. Directly from the National Geographic website: "Scientists say the orbital debris, better known as space junk, poses an increasing threat to space activities, including robotic missions and human space flight."
It is a senseless effort for you to negate the info that these websites have produced for us to read, unless you can provide another legitimate site or article that states otherwise. Unless you are an astroscientist then why should anybody take your word over the word of these scientists? Stay on the topic Milo, we are not talking about exploding stars or crazy limits to the universe we are talking about human beings, space junk, and how some of it is caught in Earth's orbit and other satellites orbits. Seems to me that you sound like you have some anecdotal capability to prevent a star from exploding...?.. is there something you can do about that Milo? Laughable! Stars have been exploding before man existed, space junk has not always been there. DUH!!! I am simply reiterating what I have read on this subject. Here is an excerpt directly from the National Geographic Website:
"A growing amount of human-made debris鈥攆rom rocket stages and obsolete satellites to blown-off hatches and insulation鈥攊s circling the Earth.
Scientists say the orbital debris, better known as space junk, poses an increasing threat to space activities, including robotic missions and human space flight.
'This is a growing environmental problem,' said Nicholas Johnson, the chief scientist and program manager for orbital debris at NASA in Houston, Texas.
Johnson and his team have devised a computer model capable of simulating past and future amounts of space junk.
The model predicts that even without future rocket or satellite launches, the amount of debris in low orbit around Earth will remain steady through 2055, after which it will increase.
While current efforts have focused on limiting future space junk, the scientists say removing large pieces of old space junk will soon be necessary.
Researchers present an overview of the space junk problem in tomorrow's issue of the journal Science.
Ripping Holes
Since the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik I satellite in 1957, humans have been generating space junk.
The U.S. Space Surveillance Network is currently tracking over 13,000 human-made objects larger than four inches (ten centimeters) in diameter orbiting the Earth. These include both operational spacecraft and debris such as derelict rocket bodies.
'Of the 13,000 objects, over 40 percent came from breakups of both spacecraft and...etc."
OK, SO SPACE JUNK IS THE TOPIC OF THIS QUESTION MILO NOT WHO NEEDS TO GET A LIFE. BUT SINCE YOU -MILO- WROTE THAT I NEED TO GET ONE, I THINK THIS PROVES THAT IT IS YOU-MILO- WHO NEEDS TO START USING THE ONE THAT YOU GOT AND START READING THE INFORMATION THAT IS AVAILABLE & ONLY THEN MAKE THOUGHTFUL COMMENTS...THANX.....
12/16/2007
Re: MILO (here we go again)
Hey...Earth to Milo.....can you read? If you can, then click on the following links and read them. ok...?... oh and read the person's comment before mine. Hence the reason why global warming was even discussed. These links were posted along with my original answer, because these links are where I derived my original answer. And btw, You are not the only person with an opinion...read MILO, read.......
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/06/scienc...
http://www.globalwarming.org/ Not trying to be an *** but do you think you're the first person to think about this? There are billions of dollars invested in the equipment up there, the people who are in charge of all this stuff are well aware and I'm sure all necessary steps have or will be taken to protect those investments.
Who, besides you, says we are ignoring space junk? We keep tabs on the vast majority of it. It's not as big of a deal as you're making it out to be.
Jesus Christ JY! You think the universe is being polluted by our activities and that it's going to have some kind of repercussions in space similar to what has happened on Earth? Do you have any clue how large the universe is? For that matter, do you have any clue how large the space is that this junk occupies? Do you even understand what space is? We could detonate every nuclear weapon that has ever existed on Earth at the same time and it wouldn't do a thing to space. When a star that's thousands of times larger than Earth explodes is that polluting? The benefits to the human race gained from our activities in space FAR outweigh the "problems" this junk could ever cause. The only threat this junk poses to us is that it may screw up some of our expensive equipment or hurt our astronauts up there. It has absolutely no effect on the planet, our solar system, our galaxy, or our universe. And if you care about the Earth so much, why would you want to bring this junk back to Earth and dispose of it here? Wouldn't that just be polluting the Earth more? And you accuse these engineers who are responsible for these incredible feats of only using half of their brains...get a life.
JY QUOTE:
"I just read what you wrote about danger to astronauts Milo and I am infuriated that you wrote that the only thing that space junk could hurt are astronauts!!! Isn't that enough? Astronauts are working out there and Milo you don't think they are worth taking an extra effort to be sure that their journeys turn out well? I am disgusted that you seem to think that they are not worth saving"
I never said anything about not doing anything to protect astronauts.
I said QUOTE:
"There are billions of dollars invested in the equipment up there, the people who are in charge of all this stuff are well aware and I'm sure all necessary steps have or will be taken to protect those investments."
AND I said:
Who, besides you (talking to the first poster and now you JY), says we are ignoring space junk? We keep tabs on the vast majority of it.
Do you thin we send our people and equipment up there and it's just a 100% game of luck as to whether or not they are safe? No, it's not. Some of it is dumb luck but there is more brain power behind these operations than either you or I could ever begin to comprehend. And you accuse them of using half of their brains. Half of one of their brains is more than twice what you and I have. Don't knock them!
You also quote something that says:
"Scientists say the orbital debris, better known as space junk, poses an increasing threat to space activities, including robotic missions and human space flight."
Then you tell me:
"It is a senseless effort for you to negate the info that these websites have produced for us to read"
I didn't negate that, I said it before you quoted it:
"The only threat this junk poses to us is that it may screw up some of our expensive equipment or hurt our astronauts up there."
Next you tell me to stay on topic. You're the one who went off topic JY.
QUOTE:
"...they should remind themselves of the fact that at one time sub-nuclear wastes were not thought to be a major problem for future generations but in fact, the particles from the blasts cause the earth to hold in heat and not be able to release it properly supposedly. And probably atomic wastes are a technical contributor to global warming today according to some global warming speculators."
You are trying to make some kind of correlation between humans polluting on Earth and space becoming polluted.
You can't now act like all along you were concerned about the threat the junk poses to our equipment and astronauts. In your first post that is clearly not what it was about. Mine however was. And you confirmed what I said by quoting Nat Geo or whatever, thanks. You were concerned about space being polluted by humans just like we did here on Earth, a dumb argument that I called you out on.
Furthermore, I read another one of your answers and you don't even believe space exploration is a worthy endevour. Black holes!! I understand your concern and respect your ideas since you are thinking about the future of our planet but I think global warming is an issue far more important than the space sponge.If the global warming problem in not managed, next generation is not going to have to worry about space junk since the earth as we know it will no longer be a habitable planet. |
