Space Debris

Upcoming film “Space Sweepers” has released new stills of Song Joong Ki transforming into Tae Ho, the pilot of the space junk collector ship called The Victory. “Space Sweepers” will tell the story of a crew of The Victory in the year 2092. When they discover a humanoid robot named Dorothy that’s…

A visible green laser shone from ESA’s Optical Ground Station (OGS). Part of Teide Observatory, the OGS located 2400 m above sea level on the volcanic island of Tenerife, used for the development of optical communication systems for space as well as space debris and near-Earth orbject surveys and quantum…

Space junk isn’t going away anytime soon—and neither are the problems it causes. We’re poised to see more satellite launches with every passing year, which means more pieces of rocketry and spacecraft getting loose and zipping around at over 22,000 mph. At those speeds, even an object just a few centimeters long…

Oops. Dropping a mirror on Earth is only minor cause for concern, perhaps about the potential of some upcoming bad luck. Dropping a mirror while on a spacewalk means creating a potentially dangerous new piece of space junk, all while thousands of people watch it happen, streaming live.   A…

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A spacewalking astronaut extra to the pieces of junk orbiting the Earth on Friday, dropping a tiny mirror as quickly as he stepped out of the Worldwide Room Station for battery perform.Commander Chris Cassidy stated the mirror floated away at about a foot per 2nd.Mission Handle…

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A spacewalking astronaut added to the millions of pieces of junk orbiting the Earth on Friday, losing a small mirror on his sleeve as soon as he emerged from the International Space Station for battery work.Commander Chris Cassidy said the mirror quickly floated away. The…

The threat posed by space junk is growing — and the window for mitigating it is closing. Experts say the U.S. hasn't done enough to combat the growing problem.Why it matters: Companies like SpaceX are working to launch hundreds of small satellites to already crowded orbits. Even if just a…

A green fireball appeared in the skies over Australia earlier this week and experts can’t seem to explain what it was. It’s thought that the object was natural in origin and not a manmade piece of space junk, but the jury is still out. Many fireballs explode in the atmosphere,…

Home News Science & Astronomy A streak of blue light that flashed across the sky on Monday surprised western Australia's night owls and befuddled the astronomy community. The blue fireball was seen at 1 a.m. local time on June 15, according to ABC News Pilbara. "It was really a spectacular observation,"…

Carolin Frueh and her students are helping to identify problems with satellites in space based on how they reflect sunlight. Credit: Purdue University photo/Rebecca McElhoe No satellite stays the same once launched into space. How much it changes can go unnoticed—until something bad happens. Carolin Frueh is among only a…