SPACE JUNK

Problems, Types, Risks Posed, and Measures against the Problem

PRESENTED BY: CHEMICAL 3rd year

THE PROBLEMS OF SPACE JUNK

NO WAY TO DISPOSE OF JUNK IN SPACE

Space junk is a serious problem with thousands of pieces of space junk orbiting our planet.

There is not an easy way to clean it up.

Most junk came from satellite explosions

Russia and U.S. biggest contributors.

SPACE IS RUNNING OUT IN SPACE Space is more and more crowded

resulting in collisions between spacecraft, satellites and junk.

9000 pieces of space junk in space

Pieces 4 inches or longer combined weigh 5500 tons

WHAT WAS THAT LIGHT IN THE SKY? One night an eye-

catching flashed across the night sky

NORAD tracks pieces of space junk including screwdrivers and astronaut gloves.

FACTS ABOUT SPACE JUNK 50 years ago: no space junk

Now: 25,000 pieces the size of baseball or larger

Most space junk burns on the way to Earth

Junk is potentially harmful if it doesn’t burn before hitting the Earth

Junk could hit spacecraft

SOURCES OF SPACE JUNK

LOST EQUIPMENTS AND BOOSTERS

Astronaut lost a $2700.00 putty knife which is now orbiting in space as space junk

Boosters that remain on orbit causes a serious junk problem, and one of the major known impact events was due to an Ariane booster

NASA Hubble telescope become space junk and needs repairs

DEAD SPACECRAFT

Vanguard1:Vanguard1:

Oldest space junk

Is the size of a cantaloupe

4th manmade object in space

Circled Earth 200,000 times

MYSTERIOUS LIGHT IN SKY WAS RUSSIAN SPACE JUNK

Jan 4, 2007 bright light seen moving quickly across the sky was a piece of Russian rocket that launched a French telescope space junk

RISKS POSED BY SPACE JUNK

SPACE JUNK MAKES AN IMPACT

Space junk poses threat to a space shuttle orbiter

Space experts fear space junk smashing a spacecraft into 100’s of pieces

Space around Earth may be so filled with orbiting junk that space launchings will no longer be possible

SOME MORE IMPACTS CAUSED BY SPACE JUNK Fast moving piece of garbage less than ¼ inch

can pierce spacesuit

Fast moving piece 1/3 inch can disable a satellite

Larger pieces can threaten spacecrafts and people on the ground

THE PROBLEM OF SPACE JUNK

Junk is increasing levels of radiation in the environment surrounding the Earth

Space junk causes problems for satellites and equipment in the Earth’s orbit

China’s test of anti satellite weapon has more than doubled the number of near misses between satellites and debris

If nuclear satellites If nuclear satellites ever collide with ever collide with space debris and space debris and fall apart, it could fall apart, it could contaminate contaminate Earth’s Earth’s atmosphere!!!atmosphere!!!

THE SATELLITES ABOVE US On 12 January 2001, a

Star-48 payload assist module(PAM-D) rocket upper stage re-entered the atmosphere after a "catastrophic orbital decay“

93% of objects in Earth’s orbit are useless space junk including: Abandoned rocket stages, Abandoned rocket stages, Lost lens capsLost lens caps Copper needles from Copper needles from

1960’s radio 1960’s radio communication communication experimentexperiment

HIT OR MISS

0.12 to 0.2 % chance of space shuttle getting hit by space debris

1 in 500 to 1 in 300 chance of losing a space shuttle because of space junk

MEASURES TO BE TAKEN AGAINST SPACE JUNK

SPACE ANGELS

AAutonomous NNanoSatellite GGuardian for EEvaluating LLocal SSpace

This nano satellite willwarn satellites about

nearbyspace junk or hostiletechnology

SATELLITES VS. SPACE JUNK:

Need to know how much fuel a satellite has so it could avoid collisions with space junk

What to do?What to do? EstimateEstimate Sensor to measure gas Sensor to measure gas

pressure levelspressure levels ORORUse satellite fuel tankUse satellite fuel tankcontaining titanium containing titanium allow. It usesallow. It usesultrasound beamultrasound beam to tomore accurately know more accurately know how much fuel is lefthow much fuel is left

WHAT TO DO? Radar and optical detectors should be used for

measurement

Possibly establish international rules and regulation and how country are allowed to operate in spaces

Satellites must be deployed for junk studies

DEALING WITH JUNK Critical areas are protected

by whipple shields

Another possible technology that can aid in reducing space debris is robotic refueling of satellites

SELF REMOVEL:-Rather then using rockets, electrodynamics tether should be attached with spacecrafts

BIBLIOGRAPHYwww.google.com

www.wikipedia.com

www.theatlantic.com

www.howstuffworks.com

BTKIT LIBRARY

THANKS TO ALL