Space Debris Research Paper

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Recommended: Space debris case study

Michael Kibbe
1/29/2016
ESS 102, Winter 2016
Space Debris

There are multiple sizes of space debris, with varying amounts in orbit depending on the size. According to NASA, it is estimated that there are over 21,000 pieces larger than 10 cm, around 500,000 between 1 and 10 cm, and over 100 million pieces smaller than 1 cm. [1] This debris is also traveling extremely fast; the average speed is of a piece of debris is estimated to be at between 7 and 8 km/s and collisions averaging at 10 km/s. There are multiple sources of space debris; some is intentionally released as the byproduct of actions such as stage separation of spacecrafts. [1] The ESA also cites space's harsh conditions as causing explosions and

Why is space debris a problem?

Both NASA and the ESA agree that space debris is definitely a problem if left unchecked, but the two differ slightly in the severity of their …show more content…

[1] According to NASA, space debris at an altitude of below 600 km above Earth will naturally succumb to the planet's gravity in a few years, while altitudes of around 800 km and above 1000 km take decades and centuries, respectively. [1] Because the debris stays in orbit so long, the chances of it colliding rises. These debris collisions create even more pieces of debris, each of which has a higher chance of colliding with other debris, with those collisions each exponentially creating even more debris to deal with.

How are we tracking space debris?

Different size space debris calls for different methods of tracking. According to NASA, the U.S. Space Surveillance Network tracks pieces larger than 10 cm. Radars on Earth can keep track of pieces down to 3 mm in size, while returning spacecraft operating in low Earth orbit are analyzed in order to estimate the amount of debris in the less-than-1-mm range. [1]

What potential solutions are being discussed to remove debris from

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