Space debris | Wikipedia audio article
Channel: wikipedia tts
Date: 25/12/2018

This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_debris


00:02:42 1 Characterization
00:02:51 1.1 Size
00:03:56 1.2 Low Earth orbit (LEO)
00:05:33 1.3 Higher altitudes
00:08:08 2 Sources
00:08:17 2.1 Dead spacecraft
00:09:52 2.2 Lost equipment
00:10:41 2.3 Boosters
00:12:37 2.4 Weapons
00:15:23 3 Threats
00:15:31 3.1 To spacecraft
00:15:50 3.1.1 Unmanned spacecraft
00:19:23 3.1.2 Manned spacecraft
00:19:31 3.1.2.1 Space Shuttle missions
00:21:50 3.1.2.2 Mir
00:22:06 3.1.2.3 International Space Station
00:23:21 3.1.3 Kessler syndrome
00:24:13 3.2 To Earth
00:27:12 4 Tracking and measurement
00:27:21 4.1 Tracking from the ground
00:28:38 4.2 Measurement in space
00:29:39 4.3 Gabbard diagrams
00:30:19 5 Dealing with debris
00:31:32 5.1 Growth mitigation
00:34:08 5.2 Self-removal
00:35:19 5.3 External removal
00:36:26 5.3.1 Remotely controlled vehicles
00:38:38 5.3.2 Laser methods
00:40:34 5.3.3 Nets
00:41:47 5.4 International regulation
00:42:09 6 History and shielding technologies
00:42:19 6.1 Micrometeoroids
00:44:20 6.2 Micrometeoroid shielding
00:46:10 6.3 NORAD, Gabbard and Kessler
00:49:00 6.4 Follow-up studies
00:51:30 6.5 A new Kessler syndrome
00:54:07 6.6 Debris growth
00:57:34 7 In popular culture
00:58:34 8 See also



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SUMMARY
=======
Initially, the term space debris referred to the natural debris found in the solar system: asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. However, with the 1979 beginning of the NASA Orbital Debris Program, the term also refers to the debris (alt. space waste or space garbage) from the mass of defunct, artificially created objects in space, especially Earth orbit. These include old satellites and spent rocket stages, as well as the fragments from their disintegration and collisions. 
As of December 2016, five satellite collisions have generated space debris.  Space debris is also known as orbital debris, space junk, space waste, space trash, space litter or space garbage.As of  5 July 2016, the United States Strategic Command tracked a total of 17,852 artificial objects in orbit above the Earth, including 1,419 operational satellites. However, these are just objects large enough to be tracked. As of  July 2013, more than 170 million bits of debris smaller than 1 cm (0.4 in), about 670,000 pieces of debris 1–10 cm, and around 29,000 larger pieces were estimated to be in orbit around the earth. Collisions with debris have become a hazard to spacecraft; they cause damage akin to sandblasting, especially to solar panels and optics like telescopes or star trackers that cannot be covered with a ballistic Whipple shield (unless it is transparent).Below 2,000 km (1,200 mi) Earth-altitude, pieces of debris are denser than meteoroids; most are dust from solid rocket motors, surface erosion debris like paint flakes, and frozen coolant from RORSAT (nuclear-powered satellites). 
For comparison, the International Space Station orbits in the 300–400 kilometres (190–250 mi) range, and the 2009 satellite collision and 2007 antisat test occurred at 800 to 900 kilometres (500 to 560 mi) altitude. The ISS has Whipple shielding; however, known debris with a collision chance over 1/10,000 are avoided by maneuvering the station.
The Kessler syndrome, a runaway chain reaction of collisions exponentially increasing the amount of debris, has been hypothesized to ensue beyond a critical density. This could affect useful polar-orbiting bands, increases the cost of protection for spacecraft missions and could destroy live satellites. Whether Kessler syndrome is already underway has been debated. The measurement, mitigation, and potential removal of debris are conducted by some participants in the space industry.