The Rise of Chinese Space Junk -- Wilson VornDick
Most orbital debris is U.S. or Russian in origin. But China’s space program exacerbates an urgent issue.
In one of this fall’s most anticipated blockbusters, Gravity, an astronaut duo played by George Clooney and Sandra Bullock are left adrift in space after their shuttle is destroyed. The culprit is Hollywood’s newest villain: space debris. Unfortunately for present day astronauts, this is not just Hollywood’s febrile imagination at work. As innocuous as it may sound, space debris is extremely hazardous and could even be lethal. In fact, the National Aeronautical Space Administration (NASA) has initiated an entire program, the Orbital Debris Program Office, dedicated to studying and monitoring this man-made phenomena. The international community, including the European Union and United Nations, has meanwhile been pursuing resolutions to mitigate and reduce space debris.
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My Comment: I have to wonder if the Chinese are sensitive to the consequences of what they are doing in space. Case in point .... their anti-satellite missile test of 2007 resulted in the the largest recorded creation of space debris in history with at least 2,317 pieces of trackable size (golf ball size and larger) and an estimated 150,000 debris particles. It was this debris that destroyed a Russian satellite this year .... and well as giving a few close calls to the International Space Station. With such a track record .... and an expanding space program .... one has to wonder what the Chinese will do next.
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