Orbital Debris Max Williams video What Is Orbital

Orbital Debris Max Williams video

What Is Orbital Debris? • Space junk! • Human’s have been launching things into space since 1957. • ~ 21, 000 objects larger than a softball are actively tracked by NASA and the DOD • Hundreds of thousands of objects larger than a tennis ball • Tens of millions of objects larger than 1 mm.

What Kinds of Debris are Floating Around In Earth’s Orbit? • Flecks of paint from spacecraft • Flecks of metal from spacecraft • Fragmentation from every explosion, disintegration, collision, and erosion that has occurred during space missions • Spent rocket stages • Inactive and defunct satellites (some as large as a truck!) Note: Most debris from large satellites and rockets will fall to Earth, but much of it remains in space.

Astronauts are Clumsy • Spatula • $100, 000 tool bag • Pliers (2007) • Glove (1965 Gemini 4, first space • Astronaut urine walk) • Gene Roddenberry’s ashes • 1, 400 lb. tank of ammonia • Camera (2007) video

How Do We Know? • Orbital Debris Engineering Models (ORDEM) from NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office • NASA, DOD, and ESA RADAR networks actively track debris categorized by size

Attention Pilots: DANGER!

Impact On Space Travel • Debris velocity: ~ 17, 000 mph – A 1 cm. piece of debris has the same kinetic energy as a huge metal safe flying at 60 mph. • Average impact velocity: over 23, 000 mph – Depends on direction of space craft travel • Example: International Space Station – ISS regularly adjusts its position to avoid “Red Conjunction” incidents

Impact on Digital Communications • Space debris can collide with communications satellites that control everyday functions on Earth

2009 Satellite Collision • American Iridium 33 satellite collides with Russian Cosmos 2251 satellite • Produced 2200 trackable fragments and countless smaller, untrackable ones.

Debris Field Projections • NASA’s LEGEND model – 3 D model of debris field with prediction models • Private sector model development (usually sponsored by U. S. government entities) – Ex. The Aerospace Corporation’s ADEPT model

Information Sources • • • NASA – https: //ares. jsc. nasa. gov/ – https: //orbitaldebris. jsc. nasa. gov/modeling/engrmodeling. html – https: //www. nasa. gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris. html Debris field growth – http: //themobilecentury. com/? p=359 – https: //jointmission. gsfc. nasa. gov/datasystems. html Astronauts losing things – https: //www. wired. com/2009/02/spacestuff/ – http: //www. airspacemag. com/space/lost-in-space-2217739/ Debris tracking – http: //www. airtrafficmanagement. net/2013/03/waste-of-space-2/ – https: //www. nasa. gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris. html Impact on industries – http: //www. spacesafetymagazine. com/space-on-earth/malaysia-flight-370/space-debris-meteorite-forecast-safer-aviation / – http: //www. electronicproducts. com/Aerospace/Research/How_space_debris_can_affect_technology_here_on_Earth. aspx Projections – https: //orbitaldebris. jsc. nasa. gov/modeling/evolmodeling. html – http: //www. aerospace. org/crosslinkmag/fall-2015/predicting-the-future-space-debris-environment/

Image Sources • http: //www. abc. net. au/radionational/image/8396164 -1 x 1 -700 x 700. jpg • http: //www. gadgette. com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/space-junk-cartoon-600 x 407. jpg • http: //www. airtrafficmanagement. net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/satellite-debris-2011 -1024 x 607. jpg • http: //themobilecentury. com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/hugh 1. png • https: //thumbs-prod. si-cdn. com/LZFn. FN 1 Cm. S 1 y. CQ_i. L 14 c. Vdh. NR 0 o=/1072 x 720/filters: no_upscale()/https: //publicmedia. smithsonianmag. com/filer/LOST_IN_SPACE_FLASH. jpg • https: //static. comicvine. com/uploads/original/13/134764/3815965 -7728882910 -26638. jpg • https: //encryptedtbn 0. gstatic. com/images? q=tbn: ANd 9 Gc. SUs 7 Jy. H 4 dyu. N 6 C 59 RQGbyz. YLr 3 h. Zs. FPULPXz 0 m. Lim. OAs. Hjn. SAq 0 w • http: //epinium. com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/image. ashx_. png • http: //i. dailymail. co. uk/i/pix/2009/02/12/article-1142924 -037 F 792 D 000005 DC-967_468 x 286. jpg • http: //www. esa. int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2013/04/rocket_body_explosions/12632930 -1 -eng. GB/Rocket_body_explosions. jpg • http: //www. nasa. gov/sites/default/files/kaboom_nov 2013_003_1. jpg