Dear Mr. Stansbery, With the development of science and technology, people put more attention on the exploration of space and the unknown. But they do not realize that with the passage of time, there are lots of junks that were left in the space from human activities. Protection of the space environment becomes more and more important, because no one knows what kind of changes will appear or if it will impact out planet.
Introduction Space junk is an assortment of waste and debris that includes derelict satellites, pieces of busted up rockets and other defunct objects floating around Earth’s orbit. Orbital debris can be made intentionally like destroying a weather satellite using a ballistic missile (United Nations 3). On the other …show more content…
Space debris does not fall back harmlessly into earth or burn up in the atmosphere as many people assume. Instead the junk orbits the earth for centuries and accumulates as space activities continue to rise. According to a study engineered by NASA (2011), orbital debris has reached a point where it has become hazardous to astronauts and space crafts travelling around the orbit. Even the smallest of these air pollutants can damage or completely destroy a spacecraft in the case of collision(s). The Kessler syndrome predicts that space junk collisions will become more frequent hence creating a series of effects that will eventually make the earth’s orbit crowded with orbital debris (Hall 11). A dense orbit full of pollutant remains will make it impossible for space exploration and the use of satellites becomes unfeasible. As a result, common space missions for instance weather tracking and communications services like Global Positioning System (GPS) will be crippled. As a result of the rising concern with regard to this nature of pollution, the United States government, under the Environmental Protection Agency, has recently classified space junk as a national security threat and a key environmental issue. Can we solve this juggernaut of space junk? The next section of this analysis appraises some of the feasible and sustainable solutions to space
Introduction Space junk is an assortment of waste and debris that includes derelict satellites, pieces of busted up rockets and other defunct objects floating around Earth’s orbit. Orbital debris can be made intentionally like destroying a weather satellite using a ballistic missile (United Nations 3). On the other …show more content…
Space debris does not fall back harmlessly into earth or burn up in the atmosphere as many people assume. Instead the junk orbits the earth for centuries and accumulates as space activities continue to rise. According to a study engineered by NASA (2011), orbital debris has reached a point where it has become hazardous to astronauts and space crafts travelling around the orbit. Even the smallest of these air pollutants can damage or completely destroy a spacecraft in the case of collision(s). The Kessler syndrome predicts that space junk collisions will become more frequent hence creating a series of effects that will eventually make the earth’s orbit crowded with orbital debris (Hall 11). A dense orbit full of pollutant remains will make it impossible for space exploration and the use of satellites becomes unfeasible. As a result, common space missions for instance weather tracking and communications services like Global Positioning System (GPS) will be crippled. As a result of the rising concern with regard to this nature of pollution, the United States government, under the Environmental Protection Agency, has recently classified space junk as a national security threat and a key environmental issue. Can we solve this juggernaut of space junk? The next section of this analysis appraises some of the feasible and sustainable solutions to space