Space Debris

Discussion in 'The Future' started by guerillabedlam, Mar 12, 2017.

  1. guerillabedlam

    guerillabedlam _|=|-|=|_

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    I was watching a recent Joe Rogan Podcast where he had Neil deGrasse Tyson on as his guest and they mentioned this animation, which depicts the known space debris that has formed around the Earth since the beginning of space exploration, this stuff was pretty mind boggling to me prompting me to share these animations. I suppose I figured a lot of this stuff would just get flung out in space or burn up in the atmosphere and never considered this Debris field that is developing around the planet.


    This has me speculating that whether in a millennia or perhaps a couple millennia, maybe Earth will develop rings like Saturn, only made out of Junk.


    https://youtu.be/wPXCk85wMSQ
    https://youtu.be/IOwv1j-fUbo
     
  2. bumpy52

    bumpy52 Members

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    I've seen this before, it's pretty disgusting. Even scientists are trashy.
    They just put stuff up there without thinking about what's to become of it?
    People suck............ok, just some people suck
     
  3. Wu Li Heron

    Wu Li Heron Members

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    They're talking about cleaning up the worst of it using drones. Soon enough, we could have a new recycling place in orbit that could charge outrageous prices for scrap.
     
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  4. NoxiousGas

    NoxiousGas Old Fart

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  5. Irminsul

    Irminsul Valkyrie

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    And rich people with no lives are already signing up to be shot out into atmosphere in their coffins.

    I'd take their money and then just cremate them. Lol. Idiots.

    One thing though that I'm surprised the OP failed to mention was, considering a tiny particle can put a hole through satellite or space station, on a millennium, how do you actually suppose we are going to be leaving our earth for space exploitation with all those particles up there? Launch a rocket, gets taken out, more debris. Try again?

    Lol. Rings like Saturn is at the bare minimum of this conversation in reality. What happens when a simple satellite cannot be put into orbit because it keeps getting destroyed by the junk up there?
     
  6. guerillabedlam

    guerillabedlam _|=|-|=|_

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    Not sure what you mean by a tiny particle can put a hole through a space station, there's already been a space station up there for the past 20 years.

    In the podcast, Tyson does make a comment in regards to what I think you're saying though, that space Debris may potentially become a significant obstacle in space exploration. Some brief research I did suggests a rocket can get out of the Earth's orbit in under 10 minutes, so the debris may not be much of a problem in terms of travel at present and I'm sure as Wu Li Heron alluded too, that they will likely devise ways to circumvent the issue.
     
  7. Irminsul

    Irminsul Valkyrie

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    "Space Debris and Human Spacecraft. More than 500,000 pieces of debris, or “space junk,” are tracked as they orbit the Earth. They all travel at speeds up to 17,500 mph, fast enough for a relatively small piece of orbital debris to damage a satellite or a spacecraft."

    And we're talking about people in coffins floating around now, if you've got the money for it. Nice try, but you still didn't get out of this world alive. :D
     
  8. Wu Li Heron

    Wu Li Heron Members

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    Space is valuable, like real estate, but you call some place paradise and you can kiss it goodbye.
     
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  9. Bjursten

    Bjursten Members

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    Yes, but everything up there is spinning fast, really fast. What matters is not total velocity but relative velocity.

    If the ISS is traveling at 17.5k MPH and a piece of debris is traveling 17.7k MPH then the relative velocity is only 200 MPH of difference. While something large could certainly damage or puncture the ISS going 200 MPH faster, relative velocity; it means that small stuff is likely to just "bounce" and make a horrid sound in the process - like hitting a piece of a tire at 70 MPH on the interstate - it's scary as hell, loud, but doesn't do much if any damage to your car depending on the size.

    Debris is certainly an issue because it endangers lives that go up there, and it clutters the space around our pale blue dot. Pollution really doesn't seem to have an "end". When will humanity wake up and realize we can no longer destroy our pale blue dot, for it is the only home we've ever known, and we are thousands of years away from migrating anywhere else.
     
  10. SpacemanSpiff

    SpacemanSpiff Visitor

    we are space debris
     
  11. MeAgain

    MeAgain Dazed & Confused Lifetime Supporter Super Moderator

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    They're working on the problem:

    Post mission disposal (reentry burn up)

    Drag enhancement (inflatable balloons, sails, or electrodynamic tethers to increase drag and reentry)

    High altitude orbits (getting out of the congested areas)

    Space tugs (nets, harpoons, robotic arms, tentacles grapple objects and sends them to reentry or high orbit)

    Ground based lasers (bump small objects into orbit decay)
    [​IMG]

    Aerogels (sticky blobs to capture small debris)

    Slingshots (object is captured and flung to decaying orbit while flinging momentum is used to reach next object)
    [​IMG]?​

    Huffing and puffing (atmospheric air bursts to disturb orbits causing decay)
    [​IMG]?​

    Electrodynamic debris eliminator ( solar powered 2 mile long conducting tape that develops a charge when it pass through the Earth's magnetic field. It then hits large objects knocking them into a decaying orbit)
     
  12. Wu Li Heron

    Wu Li Heron Members

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    We are legion, we are space debris!
     
  13. Irminsul

    Irminsul Valkyrie

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    Oh harpoons and nets, rejoice. We are saved.
     
  14. Rots in hell

    Rots in hell Senior Member

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    nah just shoot em down with golden BBs
    What do they want to be messing around in space for anyway Theres Fuck all up there
     
  15. SpacemanSpiff

    SpacemanSpiff Visitor

    good name for a band


    The Space Debris
     
  16. Meliai

    Meliai Banned

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    Humans are the actual worst
     
  17. SpacemanSpiff

    SpacemanSpiff Visitor

    on this planet yes

    but there is probably even worse species out there
     
  18. MeAgain

    MeAgain Dazed & Confused Lifetime Supporter Super Moderator

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    If we look just at some of the current practical benefits:

    Cordless power tools
    Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
    Quartz clocks
    Smoke detectors
    Tang juice powder
    Teflon
    Velcro
    Space Pen
    Microchip
    Infrared ear thermometersVentricular assist device
    Artificial limbs
    Light-emitting diodes in medical therapies
    Invisible braces
    Scratch-resistant lenses
    Space blanket
    Aircraft anti-icing systems
    Improved radial tires
    Chemical detection
    Fire-resistant reinforcement
    Firefighting equipment
    Temper foam
    Enriched baby food
    Portable cordless vacuums
    Freeze drying
    Space age swimsuit
    Digital image sensor
    Water purification
    Solar Cells
    Pollution remediation
    Correcting for GPS signal errors
    Structural analysis software
    Remotely controlled ovens
    NASA Visualization Explorer
    OpenStack
    Powdered lubricants
    Ultrasonic bolt elongation monitor used in mine, railroad, water, radiation, and medical analysis
    Assuring absolute absence of disease-producing bacteria and toxins in food
    HACCP guidelines
     
  19. Rots in hell

    Rots in hell Senior Member

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    Is this a list of Stuff left up there ? [​IMG]?
    Calling something "Space age " dont mean we got it From space ?
     
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