Space debris: the accumulation and collection of trash left in orbit. Space debris is also referred to as space junk, space waste, orbital junk, orbital debris, and space trash. Space junk consists of nonfunctional satellites, old pieces of spacecraft, bits and pieces of booster rockets, lost equipment, and other pieces of garbage. Subsequently, space debris is put into several categories, including but not limited too large and small as well as high and altitudes. All the space debris travels all throughout Earth's orbit.
During the twentieth century space race space debris was beginning to be placed into Earth's orbit. This was subsequently done by humans, appropriately after the launch of Sputnik, the first satellite launched into space. On June 3, 1965, Astronaut Edward Higgins White II made his début space walk. While outside the spacecraft, White's spare thermal glove escaped and floated away. It escaped through an open hatch of the spacecraft. The glove became one of many objects listed as early space debris. Similarly, Astronaut Suni Williams lost a camera in space. While she was in Earth's orbit repairing features on the International Space Station, her unattached from space suit & drifted away into space.
The uncontrolled space junk is becoming a greater problem than before. As well as the continuous growth of space junk in Earth's orbit, NASA scientists are in fear of the occurrence of catastrophic collisions. In order to avoid being hit by space debris, scientist developed the collision avoidance technique. They are also looking for ways to remove the debris Earth's orbit. Most importantly, tracking these objects is key to solving all the problems.
The amount of space junk accumulates daily due to the high volume of...
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http://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/newsletter/pdfs/odqnv11i4.pdf
When we made it to space there was space junk and there was lots of it. It is everywhere and we couldn’t see anything because our windows were covered with junk. So we had to go outside with our space suits to get rid of the junk. It took a long time but we managed. After that, there was more space junk and it got in our engines. Our engine is full of it and then the main engine failed so we only had the jet engine and the backup engine.
The Soviets took a lead by launching the first successful satellite into space. On October 4, 1957 the Soviets launched the first successful satellite into orbit. It was called Sputnik I and it successfully entered Earth’s orbit. This first success started the Space Age. The Soviets successful launch shocked the whole world, giving the Soviet Union the respect for putting the first man-made object into outer space. The Americans successfully launched their first satellite four months after Sputnik I, called the Explorer I. The US would have had the first satellite in orbit if they were allowed to use military rockets from the beginning. But, Eisenhower was worried he would be called a warmonger if he used military rockets for launching a satellite into orbit. He told the sci...
Space is also governed by rules and laws much like we do on land and sea. “Treaty on Principles Governming the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies,” or commonly referred to as the Outer Space Treaty was signed in 1966 by many nations, including the Unites States, and is the basis for most international space laws and policies. Some key points to take away from this treaty in relation to the space weapons debate are the following: “(1) outer space is open to all nations to explore and use; (2) nations cannot own any portion of outer space; (3) outer space will be used for peaceful purposes; (4) nations cannot place, put in orbit, or station any weapons of mass destruction in any form in outer space.” (UNOOSA) These principles and laws are also mostly reflected in our nation’s space policy, and our national security space strategy.
A successful space program is needed in America, and here’s why: we are losing our grip on the title of the world superpower and a new age of economics and politics is coming faster than we are prepared for. To be prepared for this new age we need the funds, which can be found in our space. The most deadly of those threats: asteroids. Don Yeoman, an employee at the Jet Propulsion Lab, a NASA facility, tracks over 600,000 asteroids every day.
Launius, Roger D. "Sputnik and the Origins of the Space Age." 1997. NASA. Accessed 2 Apr. 2003. < a href="http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/sputnik/sputorig.html>
The space race was the product of the Cold War. It was an effort to prove technological superiority but on the other hand, it was also feared on both sides that weapons of mass destruction will be placed in orbit. In 1957, the Soviet Union sent the 184 pound Sputnik 1 satellite into Earth’s orbit. It was the first artificial satellite and the first manmade object to be placed into Earth’s orbit. Following that, they also sent the first animal into space, Laika the dog. In 1958, the United Sates also launched their first satellite into orbit, dubbed Explorer 1. The Soviet space program advanced once again in 1959. The Soviet Union launched Luna 2, which was the first space probe to hit the moon. In April 1961, the Soviet Union had the ultimate success, sending the first human into space. The name of the Russian cosmonaut was Yuri Gagarin, who made a 108 minute suborbital flight in a Vostok 1 spacecraft. One month after that, Alan Shepard became the American in space aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft. Continuing from there, each nation step...
"Space Debris and Human Spacecraft." NASA. NASA, 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. .
----------. Space 2000: Meeting the Challenge of a New Era. New York: Plenum Press, 1987.
Asteroids can be found orbiting the Sun in a belt between Mars and Jupiter; this is called the Asteroid belt or Main belt. The asteroid belt has been said to probably contain millions of asteroids that are all different. There are more than 20,000 numbered asteroids. Some times asteroids get knocked off the asteroid belt. As asteroids revolve around the Sun in elliptical orbits, Jupiter’s gravity and getting to close to Mars or another asteroid can change an asteroids path, this could send an asteroid out of the asteroid belt and into space across the orbits of other planets. An example of asteroid orbits changing is Mar’s moons Phobos and Deimos. These were asteroids that went to close to Mars and got caught in its orbit.
When considering this topic, one might ask themselves why explore space? We explore space to compare other planets with the earth and to study the sun, to explore the universe while finding if intelligent life exists, for satellites to improve communications, weather forecasting, navigation, resource monitoring, and “to create a focal point for a new intellectual renaissance” (Ruzic).
People have been venturing out into the universe for many years now. In addition to satellites, both women and men astronauts have traveled into space to collect data about the universe. The first human being, the first animal, and the first spacecraft in orbit, were all achievements of the Soviet Union.
By the third millennium, mankind is actively studying and exploring space. The number of space flights is increasing and they are constantly running into a number of problems. One of these is a question of the increasing contamination of space with objects from our explorations. These objects are better known as space debris or simply said – space junk. Space debris is man-made objects in Earth’s orbit or objects that reenter the atmosphere, including parts that have finished their active existence and are no longer useful.
Space has always been a pivotal and utmost important subject for many years. In the past, scientists have made monumental advances in this field such as sending people into orbit and landing a man on the moon. Of course, this has only barely been explored and we still have a lot more to see of the ever-vast outer space. One of the most significant topics of all of science has only been touched and there’s still more to come.
Space debris are all manmade objects, including their parts and fragments, whether their owners can be recognized or not, in Earth orbit or re-entering the dense layers of the atmosphere that is worthless with no reasonable bated breath of their being able to assume or resume their proposed functions or any other functio...
These miscellaneous pieces, ranging from the size of a marble to a softball, travel at speeds up to 17,500 mph. The rising population of space debris increases the foreseen danger to all space vehicles, but especially to the International Space Station, space shuttles and other spacecraft with humans aboard (NASA, 2012).