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Showing posts from August 27, 2010

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What is orbital debris? Orbital debris is any man-made object in orbit about the Earth. What are examples of orbital debris? Derelict spacecraft and upper stages of launch vehicles, carriers for multiple payloads, debris intentionally released during spacecraft separation from its launch vehicle or during mission operations, debris created as a result of spacecraft or upper stage explosions or collisions, solid rocket motor effluents, and tiny flecks of paint released by thermal stress or small particle impacts. How much orbital debris is currently in Earth orbit? Approximately 19,000 objects larger than 10 cm are known to exist. The estimated population of particles between 1 and 10 cm in diameter is approximately 500,000. The number of particles smaller than 1 cm probably exceeds tens of millions How long will orbital debris remain in Earth orbit? The higher the altitude, the longer the orbital debris will typically remain in Earth orbit. Debris left in orbits below 600