Space Flight Archives

March 19, 2008December 26, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

ATV Jules Verne Reaches “Parking Orbit” 2000km from ISS

Peering across 2000 km of space, the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), “Jules Verne”, leads the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS will now be a speck on the ATV’s horizon, but only hours earlier, it completed a fly-by 30 km underneath, giving the station and space shuttle Endeavour crew a look of the precious cargo shipment. Jules Verne will now sit and wait in “parking orbit” until the coast is clear for the ATV to dock early next month…

In an ultimate fly-by, the Jules Verne shot past the ISS 30 km below its orbit. A few thruster blasts later and the robotic vehicle had reached its parking orbit, 2000 km in front of the ISS. A photo was apparently taken by the ISS’s robotic arm, but the zoom wasn’t powerful enough to get any detail of the craft as it passed.

The ATV must now wait for Endeavour to finish its mission before it can approach the station. Jules Verne has passed all mission requirements so far, but it still has a few “practice runs” to carry out before it will be cleared for docking. On the 29th and 31st of March the vehicle will carry out two mock docking procedures in preparation for the real event on April 3rd.

The ATV successfully completed the Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre on March 16th, so a fail-safe docking procedure is known to be working correctly.

The ATV’s second propulsion chain was used to complete today’s manoeuvres into parking orbit and all propulsion systems seem to be fully operational. Alberto Novelli, ESA’s Mission Director at the ATV Control Centre in Toulouse, France, added:

“In doing the boosts we have tested all the pressure regulators and that worked perfectly fine. So as of today we have the proof that the propulsion system as a whole, including all the redundancies, is working fine.” – Novelli.

So the excitement continues to build for Europe’s first fully automated ISS 20 tonne supply vehicle as it patiently awaits its turn to dock with the station.

Source: ESA

March 18, 2008April 26, 2016 by Ian O'Neill

Astrium Unveils New Spaceship Plans (Video Simulation & Pictures)

Europe’s leading spacecraft manufacturer EADS Astrium, the builders of the Ariane rocketÂ (that launches many of Europe’s space missions), has announced plans to mass produce the next generation of space planes. DevelopingÂ the design of a single-stage “rocket plane”, the company believes there will be a demand for 10 spacecraft per year when the space tourism idea “takes off”. Astrium won’t be running tourist trips themselves; they will simply supply the hardware to space tourism companies predicting the industry will progress along the same lines of a classical aeronautical business model. Astrium has even released an excellent and inspiring (and realistic!) promotional video simulation of the spacecraft launch and view of space…

Astrium has big plans. As space tourism companies begin to emerge, like Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, the technology capable of taking tourists above 100 km into the threshold of space is developing at an accelerated rate.

At first glance, the new Astrium concept looks just like a conventional jet, but this aircraft is different. For the first part of the journey high into Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft uses conventional jets (that require oxygen to function). At about 12 km, the jets will be rendered useless as atmospheric oxygen begins to thin out. At this point rocket engines, supplied by onboard tanks of oxygen and methane, will rumble into operation blasting the craft vertically into space at high velocity. The spacecraft will have covered 60 km in 80 seconds and will have enough momentum to continue into space, breaching the 100 km “lower limit” of space.

Watch the Astrium simulation of a trip on board the spacecraft.

Astrium forecasts a healthy market for their space planes, and although it won’t be in the same league as Boeing or Airbus, it will be a big step for space tourism.

One of the big players in the space tourism market will be Virgin Galactic. Virgin’s business plan is to sell tourist flights as well as develop and maintain their own spacecraft (by partnering with Burt Rutan’s Scaled Composites). Astrium’s plans are a lot simpler. They will manufacture the space planes and sell them to space tourism companies. Assuming a similar pattern to classical aerospace business models, there could be many tourist carriers using the same Astrium-class spacecraft.

“It will develop towards a classical aeronautical business model. Someone will build the planes; somebody will operate them; somebody will sell the tickets; somebody will provide the accommodation – like any tourism.” – Robert Laine, chief technical officer (CTO) of EADS (Astrium)

Speaking in London at the Institution of Engineering and Technology, delivering the 99th Kelvin Lecture, Robert Laine, CTO of EADS (Astrium), outlined Astrium’s plan for the future. According to Laine, Astrium’s new space planeÂ is developing quickly, and the aerodynamic structure is undergoing final wind tunnel tests. The Romeo rocket engine has been successful in advanced tests, and has run for 31 seconds. To provide the craft with enough boost to leave the Earth’s atmosphere, it will need to burn for 80 seconds. The oxygen-methane fuel engine will give the spacecraft a high enough velocity (1 km/s) to exit the atmosphere.

About 50% of the starting mass of the plane will be fuel. The preliminary design will have enough room for five people – four tourists, one pilot.

Ultimately the Astrium design is hoped to have a lifetime of 10 years and will be easy to maintain. What makes this design even more interesting is its conventional take-off and landing, plus there is no requirement for a launch vehicle. The craft could be used in conventional airports, but Astrium believes custom-made spaceports will be a better solution to avoid busy air traffic. Laine believes that the Astrium spacecraft can be fully operational within five years of a financing deal being signed.

Although weightlessness is only likely to be three minutes long, the two hour round trip will certainly be exhilarating. The three-G acceleration as the rocket engines kick in will be worth the trip alone!

Keep an eye on Astrium, they may be a close second to manufacturing a space tourist craft after Richard Branson…

Source: BBC

March 17, 2008December 26, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Space Junk, Toxic Fuel Rains Down on Siberian Region

People from the normally quiet and picturesque republic of Altai, Siberia keep their eyes on the sky when a launch occurs from the nearby Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan. This region is regularly littered with debris and toxic fuel from space launches, as Altai lies along the flight path of rocket launches to space. Unlike rockets launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which shed excess stages into the Atlantic Ocean, sections from rockets launched from Baikonur crash back on land, usually landing in the Altai region of the Kazakh steppe.

Two incidents of falling debris in the past two weeks prompted farmers to file claims against the Russian space agency for damages. Four horses were reportedly killed from traces of toxic fuel in found in space debris that landed on grazing land and another 4.5 meter chunk of metal landed very close to a house.

According to the Moscow Times, the Russian Federal Space Agency and Altai authorities have designated a strip of land where rocket debris is supposed to fall. People who live in the zone are given at least 24 hours’ notice of falling debris. Only those outside the zone are entitled to any compensation for damage caused by the launches.

The two recent incidents both occurred outside the zone, an official said.

In 2007, 27 people in the Ust-Kansky region were hospitalized with cancer-related illnesses they said were linked to contamination from falling debris. Also, in September 2007, a Proton-M rocket carrying a Japanese communications satellite malfunctioned around two minutes after takeoff, crashing near another Kazakh city, Zhezkazgan. No one was injured in the incident, but Russia paid Kazakhstan more than $2 million in compensation, after admitting that the rocket had been filled with higher-than-permissible levels of toxic heptyl fuel.

In cases where there is a rocket malfunction, the procedure is for ground control to destroy it, often spreading debris outside the expected area.
People from the region say that the Soviets thoroughly cleaned up debris from the discarded stages, but clean-up efforts have scaled back considerably since the Soviet Union fell. The pictures used here are from a 2002 photo essay by Norwegian photographer Jonas Bendiksen showing the large pieces of debris ~~laying~~ lying around the Altai region.

Original News Source: New York Times

March 16, 2008December 26, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

Heavy ATV Must Learn to Apply the Brakes Before Docking with the ISS

Although ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) will be approaching the International Space Station (ISS) at a rate slower than tortoise-pace, what would happen if the 20 tonne space truck didn’t slow down as it docks with the station? It wouldn’t be pretty. In all likelihood, the large mass of supplies and metal would cause significant structural damage to the ISS and could be life-threatening to the astronauts on board. To avoid a very big dent in the manned outpost, the ESA’s partners insist that the ATV carry out some practice runs of the Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre (a.k.a. the “emergency brake”)…

The ATV “Jules Verne”, still sitting in an orbital holding pattern awaiting the departure of Space Shuttle Endeavour from the ISS, still must prove its robotic worth. The unmanned supply vehicle is the most advanced spaceship theÂ ESA has ever launched into space and it appears to be performing well. Recent engine problems were quickly and neatly solved and the re-supply mission of the ISS appears to be progressing nicely.

Worked into the schedule of the ATV’s orbit of Earth are some practice manoeuvres – after all, the robot has a lot of time on its hands, a bit of activity should be welcomed.

First up is the spaceship equivalent of an emergency brake. The ATV project will have never been allowed near the space station without an emergency procedure should there be a problem during docking. Although the relative speed between the station and approaching ATV will be exceedingly slow, the orbital velocity of both will be approximately 27,000 km/h, so any unforeseen collision or misalignment could be highly dangerous.

So, the Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre will be carried out on Friday, before the ATV is anywhere close to the station to make sure the operation is successful at preventing a mock collision.

The ATV carries countless failsafe measures; critically the robot runs three parallel flight-control computers with an independent computer overseeing them. If something should go wrong, the flight-control computers can be overridden and an avoidance manoeuvre enacted. Also, mission control in Toulouse, France can manually initiate the Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre and so can the ISS astronauts inside the docking module watching events as they unfold. A big red button has even been installed in the Russian Zvezda module to raise the alarm and force the ATV to stop and reverse at 5 km/h.

Source: BBC

The astronauts do it by hitting a big red button on a panel positioned in the Russian Zvezda module.

March 16, 2008December 26, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

Genesis Scientists Finally Have Some Luck: Clues to Oxygen Content of Solar Wind

As the parachute failed on re-entry, a man hanging out of a helicopter wielding a big hook didn’t have chance to grab the falling object. Instead, it entered the atmosphere and thudded into the crusty layer of sand in the Utah Desert. This isn’t some Monty Python sketch, it was the demise of the Genesis sample return probe as the descent mechanism failed to release its parachutes on September 8th 2004. Hope to analyze any of the pristine samples of the Sun’s atmosphere quickly dissipated as scientists realized the precious cargo was likely destroyed and contaminated. But now, with a bit of luck and a lot of patience, mission scientists have recovered some samples from the wreckage and hope most of the Genesis mission goals will be accomplished regardless…

Launched from Earth on August 8th 2001, the Genesis spacecraft was sent on its way to the Earth-Sun First Lagrangian (L₁) point to collect solar wind particles in the aim of understanding our Sun and solar system development. All was going very smoothly for this Discovery-class NASA mission (consisting of a spacecraft and sample return probe piggybacking) and the probe collected solar wind particles from December 2001 to April 2004 by exposing an array of sample collectors.

Task accomplished, the spacecraft returned toward Earth and the sample return probe separated from the Genesis “bus”. The probe fell through the atmosphere to begin its parachute deployment. It should have deployed the parachute as sensors detected a sudden deceleration as the Earth’s atmosphere thickened. But due to a technical fault, this didn’t happen. The parachute should have allowed the probe to glide slowly through the atmosphere, and using a unique helicopter capture technique (guy with a hook hanging out of a helicopter swooping down to collect the probe mid-glide), there would be very little impact the probe would experience. TheÂ smaller the force of impact, the better the chance of retrieving the very delicate solar wind particles.

But to their horror, Genesis scientists could only watch as the 600lb sample return probe thudded into the Utah desert at 193 miles per hour.

Surprisingly, the probe wasn’t totally destroyed and much of the contents were protected on impact as the soft mud and sand of the desert lessened the blow. Also, the collector arrays allowed solar wind particles to be deeply embedded within the material, keeping them clear of any terrestrial material that may have contaminated the samples as the probe crashed. Still, the outlook looked bleak for any analysis of the samples the $264 million mission hoped to bring back in one piece.

Fortunately, the Genesis mission was lucky – there are enough samples left uncontaminated by terrestrial debris and these tiny solar particles are beginning to help scientists understand the particles existing in the ultimate clean room: interplanetary space. Not only that, these particles hold the key to the development of our solar system (hence the “Genesis” mission name) and provide clues to the development of stars, nebulae and planets in other systems.

“One would not normally characterise the Genesis mission as being lucky, but in this case we were.” – Kevin McKeegan, UCLA

Of particular interest will be the measurement of the primordial form of oxygen as it is emitted from the Sun in the solar wind. If we can measure the quantities of oxygen isotopes in the solar wind, we will have a starting point from which other oxygen isotopes are formed from. The Earth, Moon and meteorites have vastly differing quantities of oxygen-16, oxygen-17 and oxygen-18. Why this is the case is a mystery to scientists. Using the Genesis data as a foundation to this work will help us understand how the oxygen isotopes evolved so differently in different parts of the solar system.

Source: BBC

March 10, 2008December 26, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

South Korean Astronauts Switched After Rule Infraction

When it comes to following space agency rules, Russia stands firm. The man who was going to be the first South Korean in space has now been grounded for violating Russian security protocol and will be replaced by a female biotechnology engineer, the South Korean science ministry said on Monday. Ko San, 31, was dropped from the April 2008 flight to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. He is now the backup for the mission after he removed sensitive material from a Russian space training center. Ko, a technology researcher is being replaced by Yi So-yeon, 29, who is finishing her doctorate in bioengineering.

“The Russians emphasized the importance of abiding by the rules, as even small mistakes can bring about grave consequences in space,” a South Koren official said at a news conference, adding Ko appeared to have made innocent mistakes.

The Russian authorities said Ko took a book out of the center without permission and sent it to his home in South Korea in September. Ko later returned the book, explaining he accidently sent it home together with other personal belongings.

In February, Ko again violated regulations by getting a book from the center through a Russian colleague, and it was material he was not supposed to read. Officials did not give details about the book’s contents, but South Korean officials portrayed both of his infractions as minor.

“The Russian space agency has stressed that a minor mistake and disobedience can cause serious consequences,” a south Korean official told reporters.

Ko will remain at the Russian space center and continue training. The official did not say if Ko would possibly go to space on a future flight.

Yi, 29, will work aboard the International Space Station for about 10 days with three other cosmonauts as well as American station commander Peggy Whitson and flight engineer Garrett Reisman. Yi will conduct scientific experiments, according to a ministry statement.

The mission will make South Korea the world’s 35th country and Asia’s sixth to send an astronaut into space.

The two South Koreans were selected from a list of more than 36,000 candidates.

Original News Source: Reuters, AP

February 28, 2008December 26, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

Development Problems May Delay Mars Science Laboratory Mission Until 2011

NASA’s over budget Mars Science Laboratory mission, scheduled for a 2009 launch, may be delayed due to problems with the atmospheric re-entry shield design. A new shield will cost up to $30 million, adding to the $1.8 billion price tag, $165 million more than planned. The mission uses innovative landing technologies and is powered by a mini-nuclear reactor, giving it the ability to travel faster and carry a bigger payload over the Martian terrain. This new setback may postpone the launch until 2011.

As the most advanced part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, the Mars Science Laboratory will be the most ambitious mission yet. Powered by a nuclear reactor, the large rover (measuring 9-foot long) will have a greater range and will be able to carry out a massive range of experiments on the planets surface. Complementing missions such as the Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity, still making history as the longest ever Mars rover mission) and Phoenix (scheduled to arrive on May 25th this year), The Mars Science Laboratory will continue to see whether Mars might be able to sustain microbial life, take samples and analyse rocks plus provide us with detailed information about the landscape, atmosphere and whether water exists in large quantities. This is all in preparation of future manned exploration of the Red Planet.

Due to the adventurous nature of the project, there have been some setbacks and over-spending. The most recent problem focuses on the heat shield protecting the lander from extreme heat as it enters the atmosphere. The original design uses a similar shield to the one that protects the Shuttle’s external fuel tanks, but in tests engineers found that it could suffer catastrophic damage. Now, NASA has switched to a stronger cocoon-like shield similar to the one that protected the Stardust mission returning comet samples to Earth in 2006. But development and construction isn’t cheap, setting NASA back another $30 million.

“It kind of interrupts what has been an incredibly successful sequence of missions.” – John Mustard, Brown University Geologist and head of an advisory group giving scientific input on future Mars projects.

Many scientists believe that such ambitious projects will always stumble across unforeseen problems and expenses, after all, space agencies such as NASA are doing something extraordinary, spearheading mankind’s exploration of space. This is frustrating however, as the Mars Exploration Program has surpassed all expectations so far and it appears that the Mars Science Lab is slowing down progress, prompting worries that costs will soar should the launch date be postponed any longer.

Source: Physorg

February 28, 2008December 26, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

NASA and ESA Orbiters Join Forces to Prepare for Phoenix Arrival on May 25th, 2008

When the Phoenix lander hits the Martian atmosphere at over 20,000 km/h, at least it will feel safe in the knowledge that it has three buddiesÂ looking out for it. NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey are already preparing for Phoenixâ€™s arrival, and now ESA’s Mars Express has been asked to assist in watching the lander’s 13-minute descent.

The Phoenix Mars Mission will land on the Red Planet on May 25th of this year to search for evidence of life on Mars and seek out some good regions for future manned settlements. However, before it can begin its work, Phoenix must dive through the Martian atmosphere at high speed and complete a 13-minute entry, decent and landing (EDL phase). This is a critical part of any planetary lander mission. As highlighted by the British Beagle 2 lander when it separated from Mars Express in 2004, nobody should be complacent about atmospheric reentry.

Flight controllers had already begun adjusting Mars Express’ phase in November last year to optimize its orbit so it can get the best possible view of Phoenix’s entry. Orbital adjustments already had to be made, so NASA’s request did not cost too much in additional fuel.

Using instrumentation intended to track the descent of the ill-fated Beagle 2, Mars Express’ adopted lander will be tracked by the Mars Express Lander Communications system (MELACOM). Mars Express will perform a fast (three-times faster than normal operations) turn on one axis to follow Phoenix flying past and down to Mars. Mars Express will be an essential backup system to NASA’s orbiters, allowing NASA to confirm the correct measurements of speed and trajectory of Phoenix.

Having already been tested, ESA scientists are confident Mars Express will perform excellently:

“Last year, we practised relaying commands from NASA to Mars Express and then down to the surface, using NASA’s Mars Rovers as stand-in for Phoenix. It worked fine.” – Michel Denis, Mars Express Spacecraft Operations Manager.

Either way, the 13-minutes from entry to landing will be nerve-wracking for everyone involved, but it’s good to know the NASA and ESA missions already in orbit around Mars will be able to give a helping hand to the Mars rookie.

Source: ESA

February 26, 2008December 26, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

“Foresight” Wins First Prize in Apophis Asteroid Tagging Competition

The Near Earth Asteroid (NEO) Apophis is expected to flyby the Earth in 2029. However, this flyby will be more of a “fly-very-close” as the lump of rock will miss the Earth by only a few thousand kilometers. This near-miss isn’t worrying scientists too much, but should the asteroid tumble through a 400 meter gravitational “keyhole”, there is concern that the asteroid could swing by and risk another collision in 2036. Although the odds are fairly slim, astronomers need better precision in calculating Apopis’s orbital trajectory.

How can this be done? Why not send a spaceship to shadow the asteroid on its journey? The Planetary Society has announced just that. The winning design of the Apophis Mission Design Competition will send a probe and tag Apophis to gain more details about this interplanetary vagabond, and has been awarded a healthy $25,000 to help the development of the US “Foresight” mission…

99942 Apophis (otherwise known as asteroid 2004 MN4) caused quite a stir back in 2004 when it was discovered. Lacking detailed observation at the time, the probability of the 270 meter long piece of rock hitting the Earth was around 2.7% – a large risk in astronomical terms. Now we are sure the asteroid will fly straight by, albeit rather close. It is estimated that Apophis will pass within the orbit of geostationary satellites located at 35,786 km above Earth, allowing amateur astronomers a great opportunity to observe the NEO (it will be possible to see the asteroid with the naked eye at night), whilst being secure in the knowledge that it’s not going to come any closer.

So, panic over? Not quite. Although Apophis will miss us on its first approach in 2029, we might not be so lucky on one of its return trips in 2036. During its flyby in 2029, should the asteroid pass through a critical gravitational “keyhole” measuring only 400 meters across, the gravitational deflection applied to the Apophis asteroid may adjust its orbit, setting it up for a collision course with Earth seven years later.

This is the reason for events such as the Planetary Society’s Apophis Mission Design Competition, to raise awareness of the risk posed by NEOs. Although the winning entry, designed by SpaceWorks Engineering Inc. (Atlanta, Georgia) in conjunction with SpaceDev Inc. (Poway, California), is in the design phase, it is hoped that the completed project could launch by 2012. “Foresight” is intended to fly to Apophis and tag the rock with tracking equipment. The orbiter will continue to study the asteroid and follow it on its orbit around the Sun, gathering valuable information about its composition, center of mass, surface features and, most importantly, its trajectory.

Missions plans such as Foresight are required by the international community to be used should the threat of an asteroid collision become reality (and not remain in cheesy sci-fi movies like Deep Impact or Armageddon).

“Apophis isn’t science fiction, it isn’t a blockbuster Hollywood movie; it is very real.” – Dan Geraci, the Planetary Society’s board chairman.

For more information on the winning entry and the other award winning designs, see the Planetary Society’s Apophis Mission Design Competition website.

February 24, 2008April 26, 2016 by Ian O'Neill

Space Debris May be Catastrophic to Future Missions (and Google Earth is Watching…)

Kessler Syndrome could be a frightening situation for space travel. No, it’s not a health risk to the human body in zero-G and it’s not a psychological disorder for astronauts spending too much time from home. Kessler Syndrome is the point at which space travel becomes impossible without hitting into a piece of space junk, jeopardizing missions and risking lives. In extreme predictions, space debris from our constant littering of low Earth orbit, collisions between bits of rubbish may become more and more frequent, causing a catastrophic cascade of debris multiplying exponentially, falling through the atmosphere and making space impassable.

In the meanwhile, space mission controllers must be acutely aware that there could be an odd bolt or piece of old satellite flying toward their spaceship at velocities faster than the fastest rifle shot. Spare a thought for the space debris trackers as they try to keep a record of the 9,000+ pieces of junk currently orbiting our planet… but wait a minute, Google Earth can give us a ringside seat!

Strict international civil aviation-style laws may need to be imposed on the worlds space agencies if future generations of the human race are going to make it in space. This stark warning comes from Tommaso Sgobba, Director of the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety, who will be presenting his case to the United Nations in April. Sgobba’s main argument comes from the danger associated with the escalating accumulation of space debris in Earth orbit, should these high speed bits of junk hit a spaceship, satellite or an astronaut, death and disaster may ensue. It may get worse than this, possibly paralysing the Earth from having access to space at all.

“Failure to act now to regulate space to protect property and human life would be pure folly.” – Tommaso Sgobba.

Other scientists agree with Sgobba, recommending that future missions in to space abide by some strict codes of practice (possibly more strict than those imposed on international civil aviation) to drastically cut the rate of orbital littering by the 20 countries currently able to send stuff into space.

Even the most tightly controlled missions, such as the International Space Station, are expected to shed bits and pieces over the course of their lifetimes. Space junk comes in all shapes and sizes and can be anything from a small screw to entire dead satellites. Recorded examples of space junk include an old glove lost by Ed White during the first ever US space walk in 1965 (during the Gemini-4 mission), a camera that Michael Collins let slip in space in 1966 (during the Gemini-8 mission) and a pair of pliers that International Space Station astronaut Scott Parazynski dropped during an EVA last year.

Some space debris near misses include:

Space Shuttle dodge: Space Shuttle Atlantis had to avoid collision with a piece of a Russian satellite by carrying out a seven second burn of its engines in 1991.
Aircraft scare: Bits of an Russian ex-spy satellite fell through the atmosphere coming very close to a Latin American Airbus, carrying 270 passengers in 2006.
Personal injury: fortunately there is only one documented account of someone being hit by a piece of debris on the ground. In 1997 a woman from Oklahoma was hit on the shoulder by a piece of a fuel tank from a Delta II rocket. She was unhurt and lived to tell the tail.

It is hoped that tighter controls on the rockets, satellites and spacecraft will slow the rate of junk increase, but the problem is already pretty worrying for long-term missions in orbit around the Earth. The two critical regions filling with debris are in low Earth and geosynchronous orbits, a few hundred and 22,300 miles high respectively. Low Earth orbit will cause problems for spacecraft to actually leave the atmosphere and geosynchronous orbit may hinder future communication satellite insertions.

To safeguard our access into space, and avoid an increase in debris-related incidents, action will need to be taken.

Google Earth-watch

During the research on this article, I came across some work being funded by Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, Municipality of Ljubljana, where researchers are making debris location data available to the public via a plugin for the Google Earth application. According to the groups blog, the data is taken from a U.S. government-owned space observatory so known space debris (or as the blog calls it “pollution”, which it really is) can be tracked.

On experimenting with the new space debris folder, it really did strike home as to what a problem space junk is becoming. For starters, there is an impossibly thick near-Earth layer and a distinct ring representing the geosynchronous debris. Plus, each item can be selected and information on the individual bits of debris can be found out… see the screenshots to find out what I mean…

Get the space junk plugin for Google Earth (read Google Earth documentation to learn how to use this plugin).

News Source: Guardian.co.uk