Latest Debris Stories

WASHINGTON -- More than 9,000 pieces of space debris are orbiting the Earth, a hazard that can only be expected to get worse in the next few years. And currently there's no workable and economic way to clean up the mess. The pieces of space junk measuring 4 inches or more total some 5,500 tons, according to a report by NASA scientists J.-C. Liou and N. L. Johnson in Friday's issue of the journal Science. Even if space launches were halted now - which will not happen - the collection of debris...

ESA -- Assessing the risk that space debris pose to operational spacecraft and satellites is a challenge and depends on whether you are worried about being hit by a known, tracked debris object or by an unknown object. At least the known objects are, well, known. These include old spacecraft, other satellites, rocket bodies and large fragments from past break-ups. "It's now standard practice that near-Earth satellites carry an allowance of fuel simply for taking evasive manoeuvres...

HONOLULU (AP) -- A bipartisan group of U.S. senators from coastal states introduced legislation Thursday calling for removal of the thousands of tons of ocean debris that wash up on U.S. shores each year. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, and Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said the bill is intended to protect marine ecosystems and human health from ocean-borne trash, including discarded fishing gear, equipment abandoned by commercial fleets and cargo that has washed overboard. The measure would...

ESA -- At closing speeds reaching 50 thousand km per hour, even the smallest bits of space debris can cause serious harm to spacecraft; larger ones cause catastrophe. Near-Earth missions, like the International Space Station, now carry ever-more sophisticated shielding. Not only is space debris a hot topic, it is also a fascinating "” and growing "” field of space science.Professor Walter Flury, the European Space Agency's resident expert on space debris, casually uses rather startling...