Orbital Debris

Download or read book Orbital Debris written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1995-07-07 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the beginning of space flight, the collision hazard in Earth orbit has increased as the number of artificial objects orbiting the Earth has grown. Spacecraft performing communications, navigation, scientific, and other missions now share Earth orbit with spent rocket bodies, nonfunctional spacecraft, fragments from spacecraft breakups, and other debris created as a byproduct of space operations. Orbital Debris examines the methods we can use to characterize orbital debris, estimates the magnitude of the debris population, and assesses the hazard that this population poses to spacecraft. Potential methods to protect spacecraft are explored. The report also takes a close look at the projected future growth in the debris population and evaluates approaches to reducing that growth. Orbital Debris offers clear recommendations for targeted research on the debris population, for methods to improve the protection of spacecraft, on methods to reduce the creation of debris in the future, and much more.

Download or read book Limiting Future Collision Risk to Spacecraft written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-12-16 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Derelict satellites, equipment and other debris orbiting Earth (aka space junk) have been accumulating for many decades and could damage or even possibly destroy satellites and human spacecraft if they collide. During the past 50 years, various National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) communities have contributed significantly to maturing meteoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) programs to their current state. Satellites have been redesigned to protect critical components from MMOD damage by moving critical components from exterior surfaces to deep inside a satellite's structure. Orbits are monitored and altered to minimize the risk of collision with tracked orbital debris. MMOD shielding added to the International Space Station (ISS) protects critical components and astronauts from potentially catastrophic damage that might result from smaller, untracked debris and meteoroid impacts. Limiting Future Collision Risk to Spacecraft: An Assessment of NASA's Meteoroid and Orbital Debris Program examines NASA's efforts to understand the meteoroid and orbital debris environment, identifies what NASA is and is not doing to mitigate the risks posed by this threat, and makes recommendations as to how they can improve their programs. While the report identified many positive aspects of NASA's MMOD programs and efforts including responsible use of resources, it recommends that the agency develop a formal strategic plan that provides the basis for prioritizing the allocation of funds and effort over various MMOD program needs. Other necessary steps include improvements in long-term modeling, better measurements, more regular updates of the debris environmental models, and other actions to better characterize the long-term evolution of the debris environment.

Download or read book Dr Space Junk vs The Universe written by Alice Gorman and published by NewSouth. This book was released on 2019-04-01 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Going boldly forth as a pioneer in the fledgling field of space archaeology, Dr Alice Gorman (aka Dr Space Junk) turns the common perception of archaeology as an exploration of the ancient on its head. Her captivating inquiry into the most modern and daring of technologies spanning some 60 years — a mere speck in cosmic terms — takes the reader on a journey which captures the relics of space forays and uncovers the cultural value of detritus all too readily dismissed as junk. In this book, she takes a physical journey through the solar system and beyond, and a conceptual journey into human interactions with space. Her tools are artefacts, historical explorations, the occasional cocktail recipe, and the archaeologist’s eye applied not only to the past, but the present and future as well. Erudite and playful, Dr Space Junk reveals that space is not as empty as we might think. And that by looking up and studying space artefacts, we learn an awful lot about our own culture on earth. She makes us realise that objects from the past — the material culture produced by the Space Age and beyond — are so significant to us now because they remind us of what we might want to hold onto into the future. ‘As charming as it is expert, as gripping as it is surprising, Dr Space Junk vs The Universe deftly threads together the cosmic and the personal, the stupendousness of space with the lived experience of human beings down here.’ — Adam Roberts, author of Gradisil

Download or read book Space Debris written by Heiner Klinkrad and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-09-01 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The future evolution of the debris environment will be forecast on the basis of traffic models and possible hazard mitigation practices. The text shows how large trackable objects will have re-entry pinpointed and predictions made on related risk assessment for possible ground impact. Models will also be described for meteoroids which are also a prevailing risk.

Download or read book Protecting the Space Station from Meteoroids and Orbital Debris written by Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1997-02-02 with total page 65 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Space Junk written by Karen Romano Young and published by Twenty-First Century Books. This book was released on 2016-01-01 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scientists have identified at least 100 million pieces of space debris—from paint chips to nonoperational zombie satellites—floating in Earth's orbit. And over 100 tons of those pieces enter Earth's atmosphere each year! Journey into outer space and learn about the dangers of space junk collisions, how scientists track them, and how space agencies are working to develop new technologies to clean up the space junk. Along the way, you'll hear from the scientists who are working to ensure that outer space remains a safe place to travel and explore. If we don't tackle the space junk problem, it might be impossible to travel into space; it could even trap us on Earth.

Download or read book Confronting Space Debris written by Dave Baiocchi and published by Rand Corporation. This book was released on 2010-12-16 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Orbital space debris represents a growing threat to the operation of man-made systems in space. With the goal of guiding future mitigation or remediation efforts, this monograph examines nine comparable problems that share similarities with orbital debris: acid rain, U.S. commercial airline security, asbestos, chlorofluorocarbons, hazardous waste, oil spills, radon, email spam, and U.S. border control.