NASA has sounded the alarm: In 2014, the Earth has dropped 100 tons of debris – The Jewish Times

2015-02-22 22:06

Alla Lukashou

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Last year solar activity has made the land vulnerable to waste debris floating in low orbit. According to NASA in orbit revolve almost 7 tons of end-of-century remains of launch vehicles, satellites and other things. Increasing the amount of junk in orbit could become a barrier for flights into space. Scientists decide how to clear near-Earth space.

«Kessler syndrome”, “domino effect” – the new terms introduced in space science. One of NASA consultant Donald Kessler is the author of a hypothetical scenario, the loss of space for flight as a result of accumulation of significant amounts of debris.
Pollution Earth orbit becomes a real threat for the modern astronautics. According to the statements of experts, today the mass of space debris is about 6700 tons. The problem is so acute that by discussing it with the filing of NASA joined the staff of the UN Committee. With a report from the weekly SpaceNews.

In the operation of space for peaceful purposes is a constant replenishment of space debris: shipwrecks, spent satellites, launch vehicle stages. Periodically cleaning the nearest part of the cosmos comes with “garbage rains”, which fall with increasing solar activity. At such moments of the debris is attracted to the Earth’s atmosphere by raising its borders and safely burn.

Relatively prosperous situation only with satellites: about 90% of waste sent to the geostationary satellites “cosmic cemetery”, postponing its orbit 200 km from the Earth. However, approximately 600 thousand. Object (1 cm) remain in orbit. According to estimates of the European Space Agency (ESA), 41% of the mass represented by all sorts of debris, tools lost about a fifth of the – is worn out orbiters. In addition, part of the launch vehicle, the following research projects. These calculations showed that actually works spacecraft is not more than 7%, the rest – space junk. Space has repeatedly documented cases of spacecraft with trash particles as a result of which the unit receives a quite notable damage, and in 2006 the Far East region temporarily left without television because of damage to the communications satellite.

«domino effect” – very dangerous hypothetical situation, a possible collision with a relatively large objects and destroying them into fragments, which may interfere with other waste and create an even greater number of fragments. As a result, there is a threat to the use of outer space for peaceful purposes.
Member countries signed agreements for space programs, in which they committed themselves to utilization of space satellites, worn out, and develop commercially available and not very expensive ways to solve this urgent problem . The satellite orbit involves high consumption of fuel and equipment maintenance, and satellites with a defective control unit in general can not be inferred, even with fuel.

It is tempting looks proposal to use laser technology, through which debris can be destroyed within a few hours.
Experts note that in 2014 the orbit has become much cleaner, but no “orbital vacuum cleaner” will not solve the problem, if the member states of space programs are not strictly observe the rules of use orbiters. There harmonized rules regulating the activities of owners of used vehicles. On which should provide constant parameters geoorbity scrap, but in practice many do not put additional engines. As a result, satellites fall to the ground, without having to burn in the dense layer of the atmosphere.

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