The space junk, out of control: this year, an old probe of one ton could fall on Earth – 10/03/2019

After more than 60 years of space exploration, this scientific achievement begins to show the first bad consequences. The remains of missions that roam the space – composed of zombie satellites, rocket fragments and collision waste – have increased again this year: they have reached 29 thousand objects the size of a ball. But there are also many others bigger. In this scenario, an uncontrolled residue can fall on Earth. This is the case of the Soviet probe Cosmos 482, an artifact launched in 1972, whose ton could cross the Earth's atmosphere before the end of the year.

This probe, which initially exceeded 1,100 kilos of mbad and was destined to reach Venus, is likely that its remains fall to the surface of the planet, because of its high density, according to the monitoring group CelesTrak. The danger of this spherical module, protected by a heat shield and designed to withstand pressures of 100 atmospheres and gravity accelerations of 300 g, it would withstand atmospheric reentry. Although he has already lost some of his weight and his income can remain 500 kilos

According to the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office, about 400 objects fall each year on Earth, which equals the total of 100 tons. And according to the calculations of the European Space Agency (ESA), we have above the head about 29,000 objects over 10 centimeters, 750,000 pieces more than one centimeter and nearly 166 million small fragments impossible to follow. Each of these fractions could seriously damage a solar panel or an antenna.

When a satellite enters orbit, there are still pieces of the launcher. In general, the rockets are projected into the atmosphere with the idea of ​​falling into the ocean, where they will recover later. This implies that at least two large launchers remain in orbit around the Earth at each launch.

Also there are a protocol it confirms that the satellites that already perform their function burn in the atmosphere or get lost in the ocean, which does not always happen. Only 10% of the satellites and 25% of the rockets that should maneuver to disintegrate in the atmosphere do so, the rest follows, half machine, turning through the space.

"All those are attracted by the gravity of the Earth and finally, they burn when they come back. Depending on their orbit, they could take months or even years to fall. And while telecommunication satellites are routed to the cemetery orbit, very bulky items such as SkyLab or a space station pose a problem because their components can survive the fall season. That's why they are guided so that, if a piece survives, it falls into the South Pacific Ocean, the least populated part of the planet, "explains Nicolas Chamussy, director of Airbus Space Systems.

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Most space debris floats in low Earth orbit (LEO), 2,000 kilometers from the Earth's surface. The largest concentration of waste is within 800 kilometers. The highest orbit, 35,000 kilometers, is the most geostationary. Satellites are circling the planet once a day and providing television signals, weather reports and telecommunication services. 300 kilometers from the moon, you'll find what's called the orbit of cemetery, where the hitch is driven so as not to damage the other systems.

Most of the existing debris is the result of satellite and rocket explosions and collisions with other objects, which multiply the number of fragments. A report from Aerospace.org indicates that space debris achieves an average impact velocity of 28,000 kilometers at the hour (km / h). Because of its high speed, even small debris particles can deactivate a satellite.

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"Any collision can generate hundreds of new potential risks, which is why we have radars on the ground that list everything around the Earth." the International Space Station (ISS) has been repeatedly recommended to divert its course (as a precaution) due to a possible collision with debris. Of course, we are talking about a potential risk when an event occurs 100 km", Say Airbus Defense and Space.

Capture and dispose of waste

Since 95% of all objects in orbit are dead satellites or inactive parts, different space agencies and universities have begun to develop technologies to: trap and eliminate these wastes, although all are in the testing phase.

One of the most promising missions is the RemoveDEBRIS (based on a 100-kilogram SSTL-42 satellite) run by the Surrey Space Center (SSC), which this month, from the ISS, a series of innovative technologies has been implemented clean up the cosmic debris.

The vessel – designed and built by Airbus subsidiary Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) – had three active waste removal technologies (ADR). One of the techniques was a network to capture a satellite microphone at 7 meters. Another uses a harpoon that has successfully hooked up another micro-satellite and the third alternative has evaluated an optical navigation system or VBN (Navigation Based Vision) to prepare the meeting with objects in orbit that travel without control.

"We have spent many years developing innovative waste disposal systems to be at the forefront of solving this growing problem of space debris and contributing to the achievement of the sustainable development goals of the world. UN for future generations. We will continue to work closely with teams around the world to make our experience available to solve this problem, "they told Airbus Defense and Space.