When one thinks of pollution, water, air, and soil are typically the only categories that come to mind. However, one often overlooked type of pollution is the contamination of space. Though we do not feel it, we utterly depend on space in today’s modern-day and age, and the neglected buildup of space garbage may quickly become a serious problem.
Every time a missile is set off as an experiment into space, it creates thousands of pieces of debris. Whenever a rocket is launched, its empty fuel tanks remain in low earth orbit. This waste is an urgent problem because space debris is very numerous and travels at incredibly fast speeds, which can destroy the satellites that provide essential services, seriously affecting our society’s capacities.
Currently, in space, there are 2,600 broken satellites, 10,000 pieces of garbage larger than a television, 20,000 pieces the size of an orange, 500,000 pieces the size of a grape, and 100,000 000 pieces too tiny to be tracked in low Earth orbit regularly. The featured image (from NASA) provides a visualization of the sheer amount of debris in Low Earth Orbit. With more and more satellites, missiles, and rockets launched each year, scientists estimate that these numbers will increase tenfold in ten years. Each piece, no matter how large or small, travels at a speed of approximately 30,000 kilometres per hour. As a result, each piece is capable of inflicting serious damage to our satellites and space stations—even a piece the size of a marble can punch a hole directly through solid metal!
Fortunately, space pollution is gradually gaining the recognition it deserves, as Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield was interviewed about the issue. He mentioned that, if he remains silent on the International Space Station, he can begin to hear collisions between small pieces of space debris and the station within minutes. But, the advanced technologies of the International Space Station only protect it from tiny pieces of debris. If the ISS encounters larger pieces, it is forced to move. However, the satellites that provide us services crucial to the modern world such as global communications, GPS signals, and weather data don’t even have this protection—and they’re all located in low Earth orbit.
3-4 satellites are destroyed each year, and the parts that cause this damage are typically only about 1cm in diameter. The number of destroyed satellites will only increase in the coming years. Imagine a world where we can’t check the weather, call our friends, or access the internet! With the ever-increasing amount of space debris, our atmosphere will also become a prison that we cannot escape. Just as plastic can remain on earth for hundreds of years, it can take hundreds of years for waste in space to fall back to earth. Dreams of exploring space, establishing a colony on the moon, and visiting Mars will be impossible.
Without satellites, scientific progress will also decrease drastically. We will not have any telescopes to observe the dangers in space, nor satellites that perform tasks such as thermal imaging and laser ranging. The age when we do not have access to space is approaching quickly, so we need to accelerate our current efforts. If possible, you should try your best to play your part to keep our Low Earth Orbit clean. Further, educate yourself with books and the internet, raise awareness on social media, and support the companies who are actively combatting space pollution. The future of space is in our hands!
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