The growing problem of space debris around Earth is getting serious!

[michaelmozina]

<p>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5721509.ece</p><p>I'm wondering how bad it might get before we start to take real action.&nbsp; When actual satellites start slamming into one another, it's probably time to start thinking about ways to start cleaning things up a bit.&nbsp;</p><p>http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/pdfs/space.pdf</p><p>Evidently there are now something like 217,000 objects orbiting Earth that are larger than 1cm in diameter and tens of millions of objects that are less than 1cm, all of which can pose a significant collision risk. &nbsp; </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> It seems to be a natural consequence of our points of view to assume that the whole of space is filled with electrons and flying electric ions of all kinds. - Kristian Birkeland </div>

 

[derekmcd]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5721509.eceI'm wondering how bad it might get before we start to take real action.&nbsp; When actual satellites start slamming into one another, it's probably time to start thinking about ways to start cleaning things up a bit.&nbsp;http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/pdfs/space.pdfEvidently there are now something like 217,000 objects orbiting Earth that are larger than 1cm in diameter and tens of millions of objects that are less than 1cm, all of which can pose a significant collision risk. &nbsp; <br /> Posted by michaelmozina</DIV></p><p>I just read about this today.&nbsp; Are there any viable solutions our there?&nbsp; I think ran across a headline a while back that China is giving this serious consideration.</p><p>With the cost per pound to launch, I don't see giving craft extra shielding as very viable.&nbsp; Obviously we are sending more up than what is coming back down.&nbsp; It only gets worse from here... </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#0000ff" class="Apple-style-span">"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</span></div> </div>

 

[nimbus]

Seems like more fuel for private space's fire.. More incentive for some sort of space cleanup scheme which only happens with profitable access to earth orbits. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[dragon04]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Seems like more fuel for private space's fire.. More incentive for some sort of space cleanup scheme which only happens with profitable access to earth orbits. <br /> Posted by nimbus</DIV></p><p>Without mundane metals being more rare and precious than Platinum, I don't see even any commercial interest in space salvage. Perhaps in some far flung future, the metal could be gathered up for spaceborn reprocessing to build spacecraft or hab modules to be used in low gravity applications like on the Moon.</p><p>The most promising way to remove all that junk may lie in the type of lasers about to be deployed as anti-missile platforms and such. Vaporizing all that stuff seems like the most realistic way to deal with it. I've seen photos of actual impacts the Orbiters have taken from tiny bits of debris. It's frightening. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[nimbus]

Right, not salvage, just clean up. Would private venture not be competitive for e.g. a laser based scheme? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Right, not salvage, just clean up. Would private venture not be competitive for e.g. a laser based scheme? <br />Posted by nimbus</DIV><br /><br />The question is, who will pony up the hundreds of millions to build. launch, and operate it?</p><p>I don't see a long list of volunteers. Until a disaster occurs, it will never happen, IMHO.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[jim48]

<strong><font size="2">Truthfully I'm surprised something like that didn't happen long ago. There are thousands upon thousands of "things" in orbit, including Vanguard! Law of averages states that eventually... Now, I have read that NORAD is supposed to be keeping an eye on everything in space. <em>Everything</em>.</font></strong> <strong><font size="2">They probably saw it coming but what could be done? Finally, the Soviets on at least a dozen occasions orbited nuclear powered military satellites. It's only a matter of time before upstarts like Iran and India do the same thing, and a collision could send them down <em>anywhere</em>.</font></strong> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[derekmcd]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Would private venture not be competitive for e.g. a laser based scheme? <br /> Posted by nimbus</DIV></p><p>Not until corporations are having their profits eaten away at.&nbsp; Or, until there is a catastrophy involving human casualties and the people force the government to acknowledge the problem. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#0000ff" class="Apple-style-span">"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</span></div> </div>

 

[michaelmozina]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Not until corporations are having their profits eaten away at.&nbsp; Or, until there is a catastrophy involving human casualties and the people force the government to acknowledge the problem. <br /> Posted by derekmcd</DIV></p><p>My biggest fear is that it will have to cause a human causualty before someone starts to get serious about it.&nbsp; That seems to be the direction things are headed at the moment and that scares the hell out of me. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> It seems to be a natural consequence of our points of view to assume that the whole of space is filled with electrons and flying electric ions of all kinds. - Kristian Birkeland </div>

 

[dragon04]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>The question is, who will pony up the hundreds of millions to build. launch, and operate it?I don't see a long list of volunteers. Until a disaster occurs, it will never happen, IMHO. <br /> Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV></p><p>It's great "target practice" for military units. Nobody would have to pony up and launch anything, man. <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-wink.gif" border="0" alt="Wink" title="Wink" /> </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[aphh]

<p>I don't have a solution to offer, <br /><br />but atleast I came up with the plot for the next Bond movie; super-villains (the usual suspects, Blofeld and SPECTRE) have stolen codes to steer a abandoned Russian nuclear military satellite and slam it right at either a) the ISS or b) London. Unless a ransom of one hundred billion is paid.</p><p>Bond is sent to Rio de Janeiro to investigate. </p>

 

[michaelmozina]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I don't have a solution to offer, but atleast I came up with the plot for the next Bond movie; super-villains (the usual suspects, Blofeld and SPECTRE) have stolen codes to steer a abandoned Russian nuclear military satellite and slam it right at either a) the ISS or b) London. Unless a ransom of one hundred billion is paid.Bond is sent to Rio de Janeiro to investigate. <br /> Posted by aphh</DIV></p><p>Hey, that's not bad.&nbsp; </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> It seems to be a natural consequence of our points of view to assume that the whole of space is filled with electrons and flying electric ions of all kinds. - Kristian Birkeland </div>

 

[derekmcd]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I don't have a solution to offer, but atleast I came up with the plot for the next Bond movie; super-villains (the usual suspects, Blofeld and SPECTRE) have stolen codes to steer a abandoned Russian nuclear military satellite and slam it right at either a) the ISS or b) London. Unless a ransom of one hundred billion is paid.Bond is sent to Rio de Janeiro to investigate. <br /> Posted by aphh</DIV></p><p>A similar plot has already been done with 'Moonraker'. </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#0000ff" class="Apple-style-span">"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</span></div> </div>

 

[jim48]

<strong><font size="3">I have a suggestion: NASA should contract-up with this firm ASAP</font></strong><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/66/Sanfordandsontitlecard.jpg" alt="" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>