SPACE DEBRIES - the Danger from Space

Last month there was a near tragedy when a live commercial satellite of the United State based Iridium group crashed with a disused Russian military satellite (This first main space debris accident was on10th, Feb. 2009. The disengaged Kosmos-2251 and an operational Iridium 33 collided 789 km (490 mi)^] over northern Siberia. The relative speed of impact was about 11.7 km per second (7.3 mi/s), or approximately 42,120 km per hour (26,170 mph). Both satellites were ruined. The collision sprinkled considerable debris, which poses an elevated risk to spacecrafts). Luckily the accident happened over unpopulated Siberia and there was no victim. But the occurrence threw up a major dispute over the danger from space debris. According to a leading space scientist, the telecommunication structure may fall soundless and private satellite TV channels may go off the air due to the ever-increasing space debris in the orbit. These treat to the communication and remote sensing satellites have enlarged because of the increase of space debris.

Space debris or orbital debris, also called space junk and space waste has become an increasing worry in recent years, since collisions at orbital velocities can be extremely damaging to serviceable satellites and can also produce even more space debris in the process. This is called the Kessler Syndrome proposed by NASA. Some spacecraft, like the International Space Station, are now armored to alleviate damage with this hazard. Astronauts on space-walks are also defenseless.

An international scheme has begun to clear space of hazardous satellite debris, which has been posing danger to human life past few months. A group of prominent space scientists have gathered at Darmstadt in Germany trying to develop a method by which all the exhausted spacecraft materials could be brought into a space ring of about 1000km radius from earth for steady and safe demolition. Once they get all debris into this ring, they could pull them one after another into out atmosphere for demolition due to high temperature on entry to earth's atmosphere. The harmless ash particles easily dissolve into atmosphere.

The international space communities are also considering on imposing fees on satellite launching agencies, and countries and use the money towards the costs of space cleaning.