The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates that there are around 37,000 junk space debris that possesses a major threat to the 1,100 satellites orbiting at a low orbit between 490 and 620 miles above Earth.
Do you know that more than 500,000 pieces of debris or “space junk” orbits the Earth and they travel at a speed of 17,500 mph. These debris include from dead satellites in the size of a transport bus to tiny paint flecks
Even tiny paint flecks can damage a spacecraft when traveling at these velocities. In fact a number of space shuttle windows have been replaced because of damage caused by materials that was analyzed and shown to be paint flecks. In fact there are also several other minute objects under debris, which of course cannot be tracked.
Due to the high speed of orbiting and the size of the debris, it could easily harm a satellite or a space vehicle with or without human beings. Due to the increased number of debris flying on low orbital circles in high speed is a major potential risk to the International Space Station and space shuttles. NASA has a set of guidelines on dealing space debris under Flight Rules, if it collides with a space vehicle or human beings
Debris in space includes man made particles and natural (meteoroid) in orbit. As per NASA there is more than 200,000 pieces of debris which are larger than a softball orbiting the Earth travelling at a speed of 17,500 mph. Meanwhile there are 500,000 pieces of debris in the size of a marble or larger. While smaller pieces of debris which count to many millions are unable to be tracked.
A number of space vehicles like Space Shuttle windows have been damaged due to debris hit. Materials like paint flecks damaged Space Shuttles windows which were later replaced. In 1996 a french satellite was hit and seriously damaged by a debris which in fact originated from a French rocket itself that exploded a decade earlier. Meanwhile a junk of space debris roughly around 3,000 pieces of traceable debris were created due to a Chinese military test whereby an old weather satellite was destroyed with a missile in outer space. On 10 February 2009 Russia intentionally collided and destroyed a functioning US Iridium commercial satellite with a Russian satellite, whereby created more than 2,000 pieces of traceable debris in the size of softball.
NASA and the US Department Of Defense (DOD) tracks each and every traceable space debris that flies in Earth orbit which are larger than 2 inches (5 centimeters) in diameter and about 1 meter in geosynchronous orbit. NASA and DOD have tracked nearly 21,000 space debris and 15,000 are cataloged already. Mission controls in Moscow and Houston closely work together to avoid debris collisions with satellites and space vehicles by creating a safe space around the vehicle or satellite about a mile deep by 30 miles across by 30 miles long (1.5 x 50 x 50 Kilometers), with the object in the center.
Russians have even developed a system thereby the cosmonauts can use the Soyuz as a life boat for the crew members in case they are in an emergency or danger due to debris hit (traceable from long distance).
The only option to get the space debris out is by bringing them to a low orbit thereby it could fall into the atmosphere and burned away. Increased volume of space debris is highly worried by Nations conquering space as it could cut off the communication link between Earth stations and Satellites or Space ships. Scientists are also worried on the safety of Astronauts working in the International Space Station at low orbit. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates that there are around 37,000 junk space debris that possesses a major threat to the 1,100 satellites orbiting at a low orbit between 490 and 620 miles above Earth. Debris collisions with Satellites could also harm television transmissions and disturbances to TV viewers in Earth.
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