
Space Shrapnel
Space debris poses a serious threat to any satellites — or astronauts — orbiting the Earth. And new research suggests that it’s an even bigger problem than we thought.
The U.S. Strategic Command manages a database of space objects, including orbital debris, but it can only monitor objects that are at least one meter across. Unfortunately, the majority of objects orbiting the planet could be smaller than that, according to research published in the journal Advances in Space Research. It suggests that future space missions need to take extra considerations, lest they get smacked by an unexpected piece of junk.
Through The Cracks
Scientists from the University of Warwick took a survey of objects in geosynchronous orbit and found that more than 75 percent of the junk ha...