Space Debris: Is it a Problem for Earth?

Space Debris: Is it a Problem for Earth?

Written by Caleb Paik

Space debris, as the name suggests, is any piece of machinery or junk left by humans in space. More than 27000 pieces of space debris are found and tracked by Space Surveillance Network sensors but they fail to count tiny pieces of debris, which leads the total count to be much higher. The rising number of space debris increases the danger to all space vehicles, such as the international space station. Both the debris and spacecraft travel at extremely high speeds making even a small impact with a tiny piece of debris very dangerous. 

Due to these potential dangers, tracking the debris is necessary. The Department of Defense maintains a highly accurate satellite catalog on orbital debris, junk that orbits the Earth. This system regulates objects that are mostly all larger than a softball. With this, The DoD and NASA teamed up to regulate space debris more efficiently. With cooperation, they were able to regulate debris that are as small as 4 inches in diameter.  

While space debris can potentially greatly affect the people in space, how about the people on Earth? While it may seem unlikely, space debris can negatively affect the Earth’s environment and atmosphere. Researchers estimated that 80 tons of space debris re-enter Earth’s atmosphere each year. This debris can release compositional chemicals that reach the Earth’s atmosphere when they burn upon falling to Earth. These chemicals slowly deplete ozone, allowing more UV radiation to reach the Earth’s surface. When exposed to a lot, this radiation can cause skin cancer, cataracts, and weakened immune systems. Fortunately, Earth is quite large and even with tons of debris falling to Earth, the impact it has to its environment can be negligible. Human activity is far more of an issue that we must prioritize.  

• https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/universe/how-does-space-debris-impact-earths-environment-and-atmosphere.html#:~:text=Space%20debris%20impacts%20Earth's%20environment,future%20launches%20and%20space%20exploration.\

• https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris.html