"The returned mass from human-made orbital objects has increased considerably in recent years, and the mass subject to destructive breakup in the upper atmosphere currently exceeds 600 metric tons per year." (with still-unknown consequences for the energy balance of the #atmosphere)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246889672500028X#sec0016
@jesusmargar The big concern with #Kosmos482 was that it was built as a lander for Venus, which has an atmosphere 900 times thicker than Earth's. Wherever it went down, it undoubtedly made it to the surface and impacted hard. So I take a lack of news as a hopeful sign it didn't hit anywhere that it could injure or kill anyone. #space #SpaceDebris
@jesusmargar We know #Kosmos482 is no longer in flight. We don't know where it went down, which makes the oceans a prime suspect. https://spacey.space/@AstroHawk/114482563175043404 #space #SpaceDebris
"'It’s stuff between one centimeter and 10 that we’re really worried about because we can’t see that stuff. I’m worried about astronauts. They’re exposed when they’re doing their spacewalks, and a piece of debris that size can go right through them.'"
https://www.independent.co.uk/space/satellite-wars-space-exploration-research-b2742463.html
https://www.europesays.com/2047122/ Infrasound Technology Proves Critical for Planetary Defense Against Threats from Outer Space #AtmosphericReentry #CenterForNearEarthObjectStudies #ChelyabinskAsteroid #CNEOS #ComprehensiveTestBanTreatyOrganization #CTBTO #infrasound #nasa #PlanetaryDefense #SandiaNationalLabs #space #SpaceDebris #SpaceJunk
Do you know that feeling when you just want to scream in the face of world politics? You would like to cry: "At least something won't fall on my head!" Unfortunately, those days are over too. https://sattrackcam.blogspot.com/2025/04/kosmos-842-descent-craft-reentry.html via @sundogplanets
Better take an umbrella with you (the one with the built-in air defence).
This story about "Retro Space Debris" is maybe a welcome distraction for @sundogplanets from the contemporary #SpaceDebris
“The results presented above suggest these perceived benefits for constellations at low LEO altitudes may not be realised. The large numbers of satellites within these constellations and the extended period over which the constellations are maintained by replenishing satellites – potentially over many decades – will mean that an unstable or even runaway environment at low LEO altitudes will continue to be a possibility.”
"[Space] debris presents ... a complex issue for satellite operators trying to navigate these invisible threats. 'Without proper coordination, these valuable spaces will be overcrowded, making it harder to avoid collisions and creating more debris.'"
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-space-traffic-trash-policy-experts.html
Not all, but too many of my fellow humans are slobs. This slobbiness has extended to the space around our planet.
Like really shitty roommates who don’t clean up after themselves.
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/experts-call-for-urgent-action-on-space-debris/
@jaztrophysicist @franco_vazza I'm not from the astro community but I fear that the NASA cuts are not used for a better health care but for the concurrent with the #SpaceDebris and the other fascist funding billionaire.
Wouldn't the debate here be more about how much should be privatised in research and what ethical standards (including degrowth) could then apply?
https://www.europesays.com/uk/13681/ “US on High Alert as China’s Satellite Swarms Multiply”: Starlink Rival Sparks Global Panic With Aggressive Military Space Takeover #China #Environment #SatelliteLaunches #Science #SpaceDebris #UK #UnitedKingdom
Fragmentations without collisions were the main cause of the creation of #SpaceDebris in 2024, according to #ESA. There are around 54,000 objects in Earth orbit with a diameter of more than 10 centimeters and 1.2 million between 1 and 10 centimeters, between 1 millimeter and 1 centimeter around 130 million. https://www.heise.de/en/news/ESA-report-warns-of-space-debris-and-overcrowded-orbit-10348061.html
Concerning for space traffic management and the potential for space debris generation: the U.S. federal 'budget blueprint' would also end #TraCSS (Traffic Coordination System for Space) as we know it: “The #OMB document … proposes a transfer of the Traffic Coordination System for Space to a nonprofit or a private sector partner, which could be a boon for Elon Musk’s #SpaceX.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/11/white-house-plan-guts-noaa-climate-research-00286408
Concerning for space traffic management and the potential for space debris generation: the U.S. federal 'budget blueprint' would also end #TraCSS (Traffic Coordination System for Space) as we know it: “The #OMB document … proposes a transfer of the Traffic Coordination System for Space to a nonprofit or a private sector partner, which could be a boon for Elon Musk’s #SpaceX.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/11/white-house-plan-guts-noaa-climate-research-00286408
ESA report warns of space debris and overcrowded orbit.
As the number of satellites increases, so does the amount of space debris in orbit, writes the European Space Agency in its latest the Space Environment Report 2025.
It warns that some orbits are becoming cramped and calls for the removal of space debris.
"Space is vast, almost incalculably huge. And yet we’ve still found ways to pollute the area immediately surrounding our home planet. Whatever it is, we put it there, and now the area just outside of the Earth’s reach is riddled with garbage." (via @Vice)
https://www.vice.com/en/article/earths-space-junk-problem-is-getting-out-of-control/
"Space is vast, almost incalculably huge. And yet we’ve still found ways to pollute the area immediately surrounding our home planet. Whatever it is, we put it there, and now the area just outside of the Earth’s reach is riddled with garbage." (via @Vice)
https://www.vice.com/en/article/earths-space-junk-problem-is-getting-out-of-control/
#TIL that 2029 will be the UN 'International Year of Asteroid Awareness and Planetary Defence' https://www.un.org/en/observances/asteroid-awareness-year
Seems like a good time to talk about how vast, orbiting swarms of #satellites and #SpaceDebris imperil our ability to detect potentially hazardous #asteroids.
