The Truth About Space Junk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfc7iXpFe08 Space junk is dangerous. Satellites make up most of the space junk. Space junk can be seen as space pollution. Why are astronauts scared of space junk? What happens when there's too much of this? Watch the video to find out! More space facts on the way! ► For copyright matters, make sure to send us an email to Kasra@AceMediaManagement.com How does space junk affect humans? Most, however, have come from exploding rocket stages and satellites. The main threat to our weather from space junk is rather indirect: the density of the junk may become so great that it could hinder our ability to use weather satellites, and hence to monitor weather changes caused by our own ground-based pollution. How bad is space junk? There are likely tens of millions of smaller pieces, too. Most of this junk is moving at extremely high speeds – up to seven times the speed of a bullet. At that speed, an object no bigger than a penny could easily destroy a spacecraft. Has anyone been hit by space debris? In 1997, the tiny threat of space debris became a reality for Lottie Williams. The Tulsa, Okla., resident became the only person known to have been hit by a piece of space debris. How many dead satellites are in space? While there are about 2,000 active satellites orbiting Earth at the moment, there are also 3,000 dead ones littering space. What's more, there are around 34,000 pieces of space junk bigger than 10 centimetres in size and millions of smaller pieces that could nonetheless prove disastrous if they hit something else. How do you get rid of space junk? A little spacecraft could soon make a big contribution in the fight against space junk. Researchers are developing a cleanup cubesat called OSCaR (Obsolete Spacecraft Capture and Removal), which would hunt down and de-orbit debris on the cheap using onboard nets and tethers. How much junk is floating in space? There are more than 500,000 pieces of junk floating around Earth's orbit, including defunct satellites, rocket boosters, nuts and bolts, all of which pose a substantial threat to astronauts and spacecraft, according to U.S. space agency NASA. What happens to rocket bodies in space? After launch, spent rocket bodies are shed and pieces become unglued. They can cross flight paths and collide with one another. Satellites have been known to explode when unspent fuel is on board. What Causes Space Junk? Debris in space is called space junk or orbital debris because they orbit the Earth. They are made up of items such as used-up rocket stages, loose fragments from rocket explosions and collisions, launch canisters, dust and paint flakes. How long does space junk stay in orbit? Debris left in orbits below 370 miles (600 km) normally fall back to Earth within several years. At altitudes of 500 miles (800 km), the time for orbital decay is often measured in decades. Above 620 miles (1,000 km), orbital debris normally will continue circling Earth for a century or more. Does the ISS get hit by debris? The ISS has been hit by bits of small space junk before. It's also successfully steered clear of more dangerous space debris. In 2015, the station adjusted its orbit to avoid a piece of a Minotaur rocket that had launched two years before. The Space Station has maneuvered 3 times in 2020 to avoid debris. How do astronauts dispose of garbage in space? When trash accumulates, astronauts manually squeeze it into trash bags, temporarily storing almost two metric tons of it for relatively short durations, and then send it away in a departing commercial supply vehicle, which either returns it to Earth or incinerates it during reentry through the atmosphere. How do you spot a satellite? Watch the sky closely in the dawn or dusk hours, and you'll likely see a moving “star” or two sliding by. These are satellites, or “artificial moons” placed in low Earth orbit. These shine via reflected sunlight as they pass hundreds of kilometers overhead. Can space debris kill you? No one has yet been killed by re-entering space junk. Every day a ton or two of defunct satellites, rocket parts, and other man-made orbiting junk hurtles into the atmosphere. Four-fifths of it burns up to become harmless dust, but that still leaves a fair number of fragments large enough to be lethal.