Understanding Space Debris: How Much Junk Is Orbiting Earth?

The first satellite in space to measure surface wind over the ocean was Seasat in 1978. Viewing the earth from space has become essential to comprehend the cumulative influence of human activities on its natural resource base. Over the past two decades, the data from earth sensing satellite has become important in mapping the earth’s features & infrastructure, managing natural resources and studying environmental change.

As we researched on “Satellite Debris“, we visited at “Remote Sensing Centre” at Amravati road. There are many informative formats available. We got the information about the launching of satellite since first to current satellite. We visited at “Raman Science Centre” for more information. We watched 3D show about planetarium or satellite.

Objectives:

• Causes of satellite Debris in space: When rocket and shuttles are launched into space they are accompanied by various rocket stages, fuel tanks, and engines.
• Remote Sensing and innovative mapping technologies: Remote sensing image data of earth’s surface acquired by spacecraft platforms are readily available in a digital format.
• Satellite Debris: It was suggested that the rocket stages be blown up. However, that would just create more small pieces of debris and the situation would be the same if not worse.
• Environmental Monitoring: The view from geostationary environmental is often shown during the televised weather forecast.
• Communication: Communication technology has probably had the greatest impact on our world. It has been called one of the greatest forces for the “Super-tribalization” of the human species.
• Artificial Satellite: Artificial satellite, though the norm today, were the stuff of Clarke’s fantastic imagination, but in the year that followed science was quick to catch up.

 Space pollution, though not a household problem, is an increasing problem that will start affecting us on earth if we do nothing to prevent it. Space pollution is anything in the space that is unwanted. Example, small shaving of paint or splinters of metal that come from spacecraft and the shuttles. Clearly, the only way to prevent the rocket stages and satellites from roaming around space is to get them back to earth. This poses a ‘catch 22’ situation because to get something into space at the moment you have to drop a rocket booster stage in space. So we need to find a solution to the rocket booster stage problem.

Observations:

• Due to the great expanse that space covers, the heavy bodies are spread out over millions of light-years.
• The reports have been made that there have been rubbish capsules sent into space containing volatile chemicals. The most damaging consequences that the space trash will cause will probably involve us on earth.
• In typical human fashion, we have seemed to have shot ourselves in the foot once again who knows, soon we might have a couple of rings around our planet similar to Saturn’s.

Advantages:

• The courage of satellite is very wide.
• It is possible to cover the whole earth with only three geostationary satellites and maximum of 42% of the earth surface to the satellite can be possible to cover by a single satellite.
• It is used for communication. Considering the significant distance from earth to satellite all the propagation instruments and parameter fully experiment.

Disadvantages:

• Compared to terrestrial communication system satellite communication system is quite expansive.
• The earth station for satellite communication is very big and expansive as well. It causes the abundant pollution in the environment.

Conclusion:

            Personally, I think that an alternative method of launching should be investigated. Surely there is another way of getting the shuttles out into orbit. If it is not an available option at the moment, possibly there should be a reduction of launches. The launch should be more efficient to over multiple launches. If it is absolutely necessary to launch, a detailed check should be made to ensure that the debris is kept to a minimum. Maybe the stages could be equipped with their own engine to get them back into the atmosphere.

This Article has been Written by Pooja Kose, she is part of our team kindly Click Here if you want to Read Her Biography.