How likely is it for NASA to miss some mid-sized piece of space debris, resulting in said space debris impacting the ISS? Just curious.
Should be, but in space, it's impossible to enforce.Shouldnt those who put stuff up there be responsible for the consequences like when it falls down? Like here you cant just dump stuff on the highways or let stuff block them
Just the trailer for that movie instills me with a burning rageThe movie gravity showed the damage it could cause.
So, sooner or later, there are going to be really serious occurrences which add so much to mission costings that they will become impracticable and space exploration will be costed out?
Or does this make transfer to Moon base essential at an early date?
I am envisaging that, if we continue to pollute space environs, and that if we wish to build Moon base(s), let alone Mars manned landing(s), there will be conflict between manned flights and increased pollution.
If we wish to 'visit' Moon and/or Mars with view to bases " twere best done quickly ". If left too long, pollution will interfere with base traffic. Base traffic will be considerably more expensive than local garbage precursors.
Depends on what you consider, "mid-sized". The Space Surveillance Network can track objects as small as five centimeters in diameter (in low Earth orbit). Smaller objects, down to flecks of paint can still cause serious issues with orbiting satellites/space stations. The US Shuttle had to frequently replace it's windows due to such impacts.
-Wolf sends
Do I not understand correctly, that a larger than expected space object has knocked part of the JWST about a bit?Flecks of paint et al. will not destroy the station, just make pits.
Do I not understand correctly, that a larger than expected space object has knocked part of the JWST about a bit?
How large does one expect them to be?
Cat
The Webb mirrors are especially especially fragile and susceptible to damage from debris.
Since launching on Dec. 25, 2021, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been pelted by at least 19 tiny space rocks — including one large one that left noticeable damage on one of the telescope's 18 gold-plated mirrors.
Also very expensive. One wonders whether any insurance company would take them on? I would agree that meteoroids can always be larger than you expect.
Cat
Flecks of paint et al. will not destroy the station, just make pits. The 5+ cm pieces are tracked and avoided. The problem is the 1-4 cm pieces we are blind to but will trash any module(s) they hit, think along the lines of a small, non-explosive artillery shell kind-of-thing. The 5+ guys are relatively rare (miss distances up to a mile or so trigger newsworthy avoidance), but the number of smaller pieces is only estimated, but the danger from them is still MUCH smaller than the danger of the Russians deliberately disabling the station out of pique.
CatOne wonders whether any insurance company would take them on? I would agree that meteoroids can always be larger than you expect.
Currently, I don't see how they could?...
Why can't we "capture" an object of concern while still in orbit, then return it to earth and disperse of it on earth?
Do I not understand correctly, that a larger than expected space object has knocked part of the JWST about a bit?
How large does one expect them to be?
Cat