There are a lot of different disasters that could grind modern life to a halt. There’s nuclear war, solar flares, cyber attacks, and much much more. However, there’s one disaster that isn’t on most people’s radar, and that’s the imminent threat posed by space junk. It may sound innocuous, but space junk has a habit of knocking out our satellites.
There are an estimated 170 million pieces of so-called ‘space junk’ – left behind after missions that can be as big as spent rocket stages or as small as paint flakes – in orbit alongside some US$700 billion of space infrastructure.
But only 22,000 are tracked, and with the fragments able to travel at speeds above 27,000kmh (16,777 mph), even tiny pieces could seriously damage or destroy satellites.
‘The space junk problem has been getting worse every year,’ Ben Greene, head of Australia’s Space Environment Research Centre which is hosting the two-day conference of international space environment scientists in Canberra, told AFP.
‘We’re losing three or four satellites a year now to space debris collision.
‘We’re very close, NASA estimates, of within five to 10 years of losing everything.’
That may sound alarmist, but there’s a reason why we might lose all of our satellites in a few years.
Greene added in a statement that ‘a catastrophic avalanche of collisions which could quickly destroy all orbiting satellites is now possible’, noting that more collisions were creating extra debris.
This is what’s known as the Kessler Syndrome. It’s what happens when the destruction of satellites by space debris occurs at an exponential rate.
Say a loose hunk of metal hurtling through space at 17,000 mph rips through a satellite, causing it to break apart into tens of thousands of pieces. Imagine if those pieces quickly hit another satellite, causing it to break apart as well. Now you have a feedback loop of destruction that doesn’t end until every satellite is gone, and there are so many pieces of junk floating around our planet that we can’t launch another satellite for generations (or until we find some way to clean up all of the debris).
Though this disaster wouldn’t be as damaging as say, a Carrington class solar event, it would be highly destructive for our modern way of life. Our species is now pretty dependent on transportation, communication, and navigation systems that are reliant on satellites. If our satellites suddenly disappeared, it would have a huge impact on every advanced society.
It would also be especially damaging for the US military, and other high-tech armed forces.
The one organization that would be hurt the most though, is the US military. The collapse of the GPS network would be pretty damaging by itself. There are multiple weapon systems that have GPS chips embedded in them to ensure accuracy, such as ICBMs, cruise missiles, and other precision guided bombs.
It’s also essential for land navigation, and the target tracking of those aforementioned weapons. Our GPS satellites are also equipped to detect nuclear denotations anywhere in the world. On top of all this, there are satellites for global reconnaissance, early warning systems for hostile ICBM’s, and covert communications. In other words, without satellites, our high-tech military is dead in the water.
So this kind of event would have a major impact on international relations and warfare as well. Someday we could wake up to a world where the technological edge held by Western militaries is a lot less significant. Perhaps, at some point in the next ten years, we could see America’s military dominance evaporate, and all because we couldn’t figure out how to clean up space trash.
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Space lasers could track and vaporize much of the debris. The USA could do it with their space plane but do not want to confirm the existence of laser weapons on board the plane. 🙂
DK: maybe that space plane could use a heavy-duty vacuum and start sucking up the space debris! A large magnet might be good, too, but not all metals / debris could be captured by the magnet. Combination of the two might work! Just send it up there to vacuum space like the robotic house vacuums that have a pattern to follow!
And speaking of home-based similes, I’d like to add that I have definitely noticed a parallel ‘space junk’ situation in my home: an exponentially-growing increase in the amount of junk crowding into the same fixed area of space….
Hehehehe! Yep, same here KV! Too funny 🙂
Mega-maid, like in Spaceballs! the movie…? 😛
Maybe we should start sending our plastic debris to outerspace, so that instead of dolphins having to wear high density polyethylene sweaters, it’ll be those damn aliens stuck with the Kroger’s plastic bag wrap
Did you say, “plastic bag” ??? 🙂
http://shtftimesepitaph.blogspot.com/search?q=china%27s+bag+lady
Good idea sterling, but aliens are smarter than us “but who isn’t?” And they would considered dumping trash on them an act of war.
We should put all the liberals, lawyers, and politicians in orbit too.
Maybe send it to an outer galaxy and if anyone sees it there, they won’t know who to blame, DK: the space experts or a special ops could laser the debris.
Don’t think it will happen. God doesn’t play dice, but likes to build with playing cards.
Cool
“Our species is now pretty dependent on transportation, communication, and navigation systems that are reliant on satellites.” Then what a pathetically psychologically dependent species! “Perhaps, at some point in the next ten years, we could see America’s military dominance evaporate,,,,” Then, it never existed at any rate, if loss of mere satellites make it “evaporate”. Like the “Emperor’s new clothes”, such “power” is all-but-totally in the minds of the believing subjects thereof.
Time to invent a bigass satellite thing with a net on it. A really really big net.
That does like 5 orbits and then firez ze rockets and heads for literally nowhere. Just… away.
When everything else fails, Ham Radio works.
Junk in a box.
Uhhhhh no!!! HAM radio is awesome
Tech is convenient but it has opened Pandora’s box. We are more and more in prison because of technological surveillance.
__
More and more in prison because of technology DEPENDENCE..manipulated by TPTB..Who cares if satellites fail or are destroyed..means nothing but they are the overhead LINKS used by TPTB to control and subdue the rest of us…Kill the electricity they use, you SEVER THEIR CONTROL PERMANENTLY.
This article is fear porn unfortunately, a coddle piece to keep you comfortable in your tech chains and your mind buried in the brainwashing. Nothing more.
imagine trying to shoot a grain of sand, using a shotgun and 9s, on the other side of the world…That is the risk to satellites. To use plebs it is NOTHING, but to our keeps and controllers IT IS EVERYTHING to keep the manacles and chains on us and in their control.
It is always comforting, regardless of the dire nature of the issue, to encounter words affirming one’s independent observations.
>losing three or four satellites a year now to space debris collision
Really?
“Shut her down, Clancy. She’s pumpin’ mud!”
~toktomi~
The scenario outlined in the article is particularly likely considering nations have “weaponized space.” Consequently, when one satellite is taken out the resulting metal, “hurtling through space at 17,000 mph rips through another satellite, causing it to break apart into tens of thousands of pieces. Imagine if those pieces quickly hit another satellite, causing it to break apart as well. Now you have a feedback loop of destruction that doesn’t end until every satellite is gone”.
That Air Force plane that recently finished its secrete mission (i.e. deploying anti-satelite weapons) comes to mind regarding this issue. It’s an issue that I had not really considered before. Well, one more thing to worry about.
Well Gee, my parents and grandparents made out just fine without satellites orbiting around above their heads. Grandparents made it through two world wars and were in their 90’s when they passed. Parents were still going strong even when TV only had three stations. Piss on all those satellites. I hope they all fall from the sky and crush Berkley’s campus buildings.
I agree, sounds like good thing to me.
And?
No fret, no sweat.
Move on.
What we need is a ‘Sanford & Son’ initiative. Think of the start-ups possible with space-based junk collectors. Just create a bounty system and let Red Fox types go an collect all they can. What’s the worst that can happen? “I’m dying, I comin’ to join ya Lizbeth…”.
Great idea! Nothing motivates people more than making a profit! Why not? I think it is a good incentive and a great way to get orbital space cleaned up! Very practical!
Face it people are becoming dumber as time evolves, more idiotic just accepting their total enslavement. Change all for the worse. The only advancements are killing methods. Forced vaccinations or you lose your job, forced gmo poison to sicken and prop up big pharma poisons. Being born becoming a curse.
aljamo, well said!
I’m calling BS on this one. The 17,000 mph is relative to the earth not relative to the objects in the same orbit. More fear mongering.
May be we could launch a big Hoover vacuum cleaner and start sucking up the loose trash!
Exactly my thought. If the debris are traveling at a high rate of speed, then so are the satellites. It can still be damaging, but it’s not the head on collision type damage they make it out to be. Unless of course the satellites are equipped with some form of propulsion they use to slowdown their orbiting speed. I know little to nothing about it, so I can’t say either way. For that matter, wouldn’t the same gravitational pull that keeps the debris in orbit eventually bring it through the atmosphere where it would be burned up on re-entry?
Debris is traveling at high speed, but so are the satellites. More useful information would be how fast is the debris traveling compared to the satellites. If both are traveling about the same speed, one bumping into the other would do minimal damage.
Your point is well taken about relative velocities being an important factor.
The satellites we are most concerned about are those in geosynchronous orbits (they appear to be standing still over one spot on the Earth’s surface.) These represent the GPS and Comm type birds.
The space junk is almost all in regular orbit (NOT geosynchronous)around the planet.
The probability is high that the relative velocities between the junk and the important satellites is very large, large enough to do the damage described in the article.
I have no way to gauge how crowded it is and the 170 million pieces of debris seems hard to believe.
But the there is a relative velocity angle to it that is valid.
<bb
If the debris is not in geosynchronous orbit, then it is not at the same altitude as the geosynchronous satellites and thus cannot hit them. The speed of an orbiting satellite depends on its altitude. That was the thing Arthur C. Clarke figured out in his science fiction stories when he invented the idea of geosynchronous satellites.
to be truly geosynchronous, you must not only be at the right altitude, but also orbiting directly along the earth’s equator.
There are also some that are only geostationary to a specific longitude, but oscillate back and forth across the equator, turning around at a particular latitude. Good for looking straight down on places not on the equator, but only at specific times. Not sure if these are at the same altitude, but gut feel says they are.
Point being that there are multiple orbits possible in different vectors at a single altitude.
Another thought that comes to mind: As these collisions occur, fragmenting junk into greater numbers, I would expect the vast majority of these byproducts would not have orbital velocity, and would fall or fly. Each collision should take a fair bit of junk out of orbit.
The US military also heavily uses low earth orbit. The cameras see better and electronics can listen better when it’s closer to a target.
The military has aircraft launched missiles that can put up swarms of small satellites on a moments notice in low earth orbit to zoom in on a place of special interest. Because of trace atmosphere in low earth orbit, the orbit decays quickly and the satellites burn up on reentry. It’s a relatively clean orbital layer.
They say the earth will have pretty rings one day soon like Saturn because of all the space junk.
I loved all the remarks/ discussion on this topic. Good one Mac.
Five to ten years is a safe prediction I’m looking for a more precise time frame.
if this actually did happen the way its described its not only the US military that would be affected. in essence it would lvl the playing field and no one wiold have any of the satellite tech
It wasn’t enough to pollute the earth and it’s oceans, they had to pollute outer space too. When will man learn he does not know best? Man needs to listen to his creator: Rev. 11:18 …… and to bring to ruin those ruining the earth. Our ancestors seem to have done alright before all this modern technology, so it would seem the US should start building the old technology war machines and be prepared for the worst to come. I’ve always been criticized for not excepting new technology, eg. computers. I only bought a computer 1 1/2 years ago. I even use an old flip phone; no texting or internet….it’s just a phone to me. I only got my mobile phone about 2007 because I traveled 100 miles per day round trip to work five days a week, and worked the 11p to 7a shift. Technology can be a good thing , but abusing it can be a bad thing.
I’m with p o let the sob’s crash we WERE better off !!
Good, lets get back to the 1800’s. Along with mass population reduction.
Ha!
they say this like its a bad thing
This article is fear porn unfortunately, a coddle piece to keep you comfortable in your tech chains and your mind buried in the brainwashing. Nothing more.
imagine trying to shoot a grain of sand, using a shotgun and 9s, on the other side of the world…That is the risk to satellites. To use plebs it is NOTHING, but to our keeps and controllers IT IS EVERYTHING to keep the manacles and chains on us and in their control.
OUR Controllers are desperate to NOT lose their means of control. They control the message through the medium and ALL OF IT DEPENDENT UPON TECHNOLOGY THAT REQUIRES ELECTRIC POWER ON THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH TO KEEP US IMPRISONED AND US VOLUNTARILY USING IT WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO CONTROL THE DELIVERY AT ALL. All of the wars , all of the economic manipulation, all of the TV RADIO INTERNET traffic is the medium but all of it dependent on electricity being used by INMATES to keep their control. Let that sink into your little monkey minds. it should ENRAGE you to know who voluntarily and easily they have you believing you are “FREE” because you can’t see the chains they have you in. You aren’t free at all. Not even on a good day. And furthermore you will do NOTHING to free yourselves because you love your chains, you need your chains like a heroin junkie needs his fix.
NJ,
I admit it, I’m in love with indoor plumbing, and don’t even get me started on toilets. I used to worship at one, occasionally late into the night after Friday night frat parties in college. Toilets are awesome, in fact I might just go and have a Pilsner right now just, so I can appreciate an extra euphemism or two before the night is out.
Of course my love of hot and cold running water is contingent on having central heat, so the pipes won’t freeze, so I need that too. As long as I have central heat, it’s also very easy to add central air.
Remember Algore said by 2015 the eastern seaboard would be covered in a few feet of water because of global warming? This is something along those lines. Chicken Little. Literally.
How did man survive before GPS satellites? Magnetic Compasses and sextants.
How did man survive before the internet?
Hand writing letters, newsprint by manual typesetting, word of mouth, land line telephone and telegraph, books
How did man GROW FOOD before technology?..by hand and animal power.
man is lazy AF, man can live and thrive WITHOUT the technology, but man LOVES it like he loves sugar. It is poison to the mind and soul but manageable when used responsibly.
You can tell those who live IRRESPONSIBLY, diseased and fat and lazy, and ADDICTED….but VOLUNTARILY SO. It can be changed simply by a CHOICE.
So true. I remember when hand held calculators came to be. It took care of the maff so we could concentrate on spelng. Ever wonder how long the check out lines would be if the tills didn’t do the math for the clerks? Trumps work for welfare will introduce many to the art of the shovel. It should of happened sooner. OMG, LOL, ROFL, ICMU. Expression cannot exceed 140 characters these days. Isn’t technology great. No more complex thoughts. Just have to ignore the spell check red underlines. I wonder what they will do when the DARPA warbots start raping the sexbots. Garbage in, garbage out. It is the core that is uncommon.
I thought it was a fun thought experiment.
But, why don’t Saturn’s rings or the dust particles in our air all hit eachother and crash, to the ground.
I am not yet able find a mathematical model, of such an event ever occurring, spontaneously, although asteroid strikes are supposed to have brought the upper atmosphere, down to Earth.
A theoretical, outside force is probably needed, to put the debris on a collision course.
This article reminded me of the movie Gravity. Thanks I was trying to forget about it. Clooney is such a Bullock.
I think, in the near term, you are paying people to count the number of angels, which can dance on the head of a pin. The more immediate threat is Keynesianism and specious, social promotion / demotion.
I still have my shortwave, CB radio, walkie talkies, compasses and map atlases. I’ll miss internet. The old expression “what goes up, must come down!” is still true. While I might survive, modern society won’t. They’ve grown too dependent on technology. The truth is that the loss of satellites will affect us in more ways than we know! It is a lot like the electrical grid going down for a long period of time.
Big deal, we are 5 to 10 years away from losing everything anyways.
If WW3 doesn’t start and global debt defaults do not hit, the abilities for people to steal your assets in the cyber world and threaten and control you is just going to get worse.
For instance, some hackers figure out how to find how much you are worth and if they cannot get to it, they’ll abduct your daughter and threaten to kill her that day if you do not wire everything in your bank account to them and they’re gone before you can bring in the FBI because it’s done the same day. THIS is the future.
Neal was right, this is fear porn.
BTW-there are a lot of orbital ranges to pick from.
I suspect we’re going to have to start collecting space trash. It might even be recyclable for in-space manufacturing. My uneducated guess is we might need to have some sort of robot “trawler” that goes up and uses high-power electromagnets to “net” flying metal fragments. Large items might be towed or propelled far into space, but little items will have to be captured.
I always thought we should send all that junk to the sun. We could also toss in a few hundred cubic yards of the radioactive waste we generate here on earth. I doubt the sun would notice…
By sending “junk,” did you mean all that trash on TV as well?
Just curious
Wow! If this happens, the world won’t be able to watch their daily episode of Keeping up with the Kartrashians, or their daily dose of fake news from CNN of MSNBC. Shocker!
You mean the Mudsharkians. The girls never saw a black licorice stick they didn’t like.
The flight paths are known, the trajectory can be computed, I’m not concerned.
At 23,500 miles out they are pretty much going in the same direction. Lower orbits would have to receive a boost of energy to move out from earth. A laser would just make more debris to clean up.
Good riddance. All they are doing in spewing high frequency RF radiation in a very directed manner into the Earth anyway. I suspect another reason the cancer rates have escalated since they started throwing these things up in space. Microwave the planet with thousands of satellites. What could possibly go wrong? Hey, maybe that’s why we have global warming!!! LOL
How could young people function without GPS. They would have to learn to read maps.
Just when I thought I had enough stuff to worry about I now have to worry about space junk too. Damn, what’s next?
I hear ya! My biggest catastrophe is running out of half-n-half and having to use powdered stuff in my morning coffee. Ewwwww. I try to not let that happen!
Good for you.