DID YOU KNOW?
Over 680 people have been to space
ORBITAL DEBRIS CAN MAKE A MESS OF THINGS
Our planet is surrounded by junk that poses a threat to astronauts and spacecraft
Debris in space is a well-documented problem; NASA estimates that there are roughly 13,000 objects larger than ten centimetres in diameter floating around in the near-Earth environment. The danger from orbital garbage is all too apparent. In 1983, a tiny paint fleck hurtling through space hit Space Shuttle Challenger’s window, causing so much damage that the entire window had to be replaced. The International Space Station (ISS) regularly manoeuvres out of the path of oncoming junk.
Most of this junk is moving at extremely high speeds – up to seven times the speed of a rifle bullet. At that speed, not only would you not see it coming, but
