Space debris threatens to TRAP humanity on Earth and set off ‘cascade of destruction’
HUMANITY has been launching stuff into space for more than six decades – and it's becoming a problem.
Millions of bits of junk circling our planet threaten to trigger a catastrophic cascade of collisions that could knock out working satellites, one scientist tells The Sun.
If this were to continue unchecked, it could take down communication systems and render parts of space inaccessible.
Some experts have even suggested a further build up of debris could trap humanity on Earth because rocket launches would become too dangerous.
The solution? Send up giant nets that can snatch debris out of orbit, while ensuring future satellites have self-destruct systems.
"We've basically been launching things since 1957, and in the early decades, there wasn't any sense that this might become a major environmental problem," Dr Alice Gorman, of Finders University in Australia, told The Sun.
More than 500 break-ups, explosions, collisions, or other events resulting in the release of tiny fragments of debris were logged by investigators.
"Despite measures being in place for years to prevent this, we see no decline in the number of such events," said Holger Krag, Head of the Space Safety Programme at ESA.
Hair-raising near misses are also becoming commonplace.
One close shave between a defunct Russian satellite and spent Chinese rocket part in October could have caused billions in damages in what scientists said would have been the "worst space collision in history".
It's not all bad
While there is plenty to worry about when it comes to our litter-strewn orbit, space debris also has plenty to teach us.
As a space archaeologist, Dr Gorman looks at how some pieces of junk are artefacts that form an important part of our recent history.
"The dominant idea is that we should treat space junk as, well, junk," Dr Gorman told The Sun.
"The assumption is that once a spacecraft is no longer in use, it has no value. My take on this is that some pieces of junk have heritage value."
What that means is that a handful of defunct satellites or ejected rocket parts – like tools thrown away by cavemen thousands of years ago – remain important to humanity long beyond their expiry dates.
"We shouldn't just be saying 'oh it's all junk and got no use'," according to Dr Gorman.
"We should have some strategy that means we don't just destroy everything, and keep what's valuable."
ESA chiefs have proposed launching a £100million space "tow truck" in future to clear Earth's orbit of debris.
Others have suggested enforcing satellite operators to push defunct satellites into our atmosphere once they're done – where they'll safely disintegrate.
Whatever they cook up, Dr Gorman is pushing to keep hold of any debris that isn't a danger to other spacecraft. She believes they belong in museums.
"People want to see these objects, they want to see real objects," she told The Sun.
"These objects represent the changing state of technology. Some of them are quite beautiful."
In other news, SpaceX is set to send four astronauts into orbit tomorrow as part of an historic mission to the International Space Station.
SpaceX boss Elon Musk wants to send humans to Mars as early as 2024 aboard the firm's huge new Starship rocket.
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And, Nasa set a hillside on fire during a recent test of the "most powerful rocket ever built".
What do you think of the space debris conundrum? Let us know in the comments!
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