NASA says Russian satellite was on the verge of disaster: ‘We were terrified’
Saved by hair accident, which could cause a cascading event known as “Kessler syndrome.” This was confirmed by NASA Deputy Administrator Colonel Pam Melroy, who admitted that experts were “really scared.” February 28 drifting Russian satellite Space 2221was a few meters away from colliding with a NASA satellite. Timed– which monitors the Earth’s atmosphere – in an accident that the agency says could have caused a “shocking” event that could endanger people’s lives. And those who had no wiggle room to avoid it could only sit and wait for the worst to happen.
Melroy, a former astronaut, explained at the Space Foundation’s space symposium in Colorado that if the satellites collided, it would cause mthousands of fragments will be released at hypersonic speed around the Earth. Uncontrolled shrapnel, which could mean “monumental” problem. And he admitted that this success This was a very shocking event for all NASA members and a warning that should make us wary of underestimating the problem at hand.
Hidden risk of disaster
Moreover, they recently learned that the distance between one satellite and another was less than 10 meters away. He clarified that it is the distance that separates his department from the symposium and the first row of the public. “If two satellites collided, we would see small shrapnel flying at 16,000 kilometers per hourin hopes of drilling a hole in another spacecraft.” Including International Space Station.
“It is sobering to think that something the size of a pencil eraser could cause such damage, but it is possible. “We’re all concerned about this.” And this is a warning to sailors about The danger of space debris.
NASA has already launched its Space Resilience Strategy to better image and monitor satellites and debris with the goal of keeping orbits as clean as possible. A goal that is quite challenging given that we currently have More than 10,000 satellites orbit the Earth. A number that has quadrupled since 2019. And forecasts show that this figure will continue to grow exponentially.
Have 5400 objects with a diameter of one meter who wander uncontrollably accompanied 34,000, the size of which exceeds 10 centimeters. in length, 900,000 per centimeter and more than 130 million per millimeter in wingspan. In 2022, the amount of material already in Earth’s orbit will exceed 10,000 metric tons, according to ESA.
Low-Earth orbit, which is the most crowded, has already been approved for 400,000 satellites. And SpaceX is getting ready 44,000 for your internet project Starlink. The Telegraph notes that experts suggest that once all the planned Internet constellations are operational, there will be about 16,000 satellites disintegrate in doing so, they will have to leave orbit. These satellites block orbital space and pose a danger.
In fact, similar events have happened before, and they were saved “as a last resort” by pure chance. He June 28, 2011 A cloud of debris appeared in front of the International Space Station. Three Russian astronauts, two Americans and one Japanese were forced to take refuge on the Soyuz spacecraft for evacuation in the event of a collision. If they had occurred, experts said fragments would have been scattered. They would go through the station like clockwork and turn it into a sieve.
Kessler Syndrome: “Trapped on Our Planet”
It was in 1978 that NASA consultant Donald J. Kessler proposed a scenario called “Kessler syndrome or ablation cascade.” It states that if the volume of space debris in low Earth orbit is large, objects in orbit will be exposed to this debris, which in turn will create even more debris in the form of debris and increase the risk of multiple collisions between objects.
Disastrous domino effect with education orNo a swirling cloud of debris moving at high speed. Creating a panorama where space will be inaccessible will put satellite systems in a critical situation, while already making it difficult for telescopes to observe.
Cesar Arza, head of mission analysis at the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA), previously told ABC that we have to be very careful “because by putting ourselves in the most apocalyptic scenario, we can create this cloud of apocalyptic events.” debris that would make it impossible to launch new satellites or space missions. That is, we would have stayed locked inside our planet.
Consequently, the US agency is heavily invested in detecting, tracking and preventing collisions from what orbits the Earth, the Moon and beyond. And companies like Astroscale, ClearSpace or Airbus are working on ways to restore disused satellites and bring them back to Earth. The application of technologies using robotic weapons, harpoons or magnetic methods is studied.
Colonel Melroy noted: “This problem is enormous. We can’t even agree on how much debris is in orbit because we have so many models available. The space is occupied. We have made our task more difficult. “And that’s why NASA is looking for a path forward that ensures we do the right thing.”