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There are 300,000 pieces of garbage orbiting earth, and it's a big problem
Vox via MSN ^ | 1/20/15 | Joseph Stromberg

Posted on 01/20/2015 3:35:43 PM PST by Libloather

Right now, there are more than 300,000 pieces of debris larger than a centimeter in diameter orbiting Earth.

They range from tiny shards of metal to deactivated, decades-old satellites. Most are shrapnel from discarded rocket stages that have exploded after use, or satellites that have collided. Colloquially, all this debris is usually called "space junk."

Together, the Department of Defense and NASA track the orbits of the 19,000 or so pieces of junk that are larger than a softball, alerting satellite operators when any satellite — including the International Space Station — is in danger, so they can move it.

(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: earth; garbage; orbit; space
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To: Cowgirl of Justice
What about Asteroids?

Had em once. Itched like a sonofagun.
21 posted on 01/20/2015 4:30:16 PM PST by Old Yeller (Civil rights are for civilized people.)
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To: roadcat
Why not a huge electromagnet that's solar powered?

I'm guessing that iron makes up a minimal portion of what's up there.

Man-made stuff, that is.

If there was real global warming, solar powered or otherwise, the atmosphere would have expanded a bit, and creating additional drag on the closer stuff, bringing it down sooner.

22 posted on 01/20/2015 4:31:24 PM PST by Calvin Locke
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To: Libloather

The Chinese will design a huge nuclear powered electro-magnet
and net to scoop up the debris, the USA will not do it , Obama won’t even take out his own garbage...such as Al Sharpton


23 posted on 01/20/2015 4:34:31 PM PST by Candor7 (Obama fascism article:(http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/05/barack_obama_the_quintessentia_1.html))
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To: Libloather
Sounds like a job for Adam Quark and his zany crew!

/obscure reference.

24 posted on 01/20/2015 4:34:37 PM PST by DemforBush (Q. Why didn't the German get to eat his cake? A. Because it was stollen!)
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To: Libloather
Yeah, it's such a huge problem that it's never caused a problem ...

Will the antique media never tire of this alarmist bilge?

25 posted on 01/20/2015 4:54:02 PM PST by IronJack
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To: Graybeard58

Since space is curved, if you want to find the other end just turn around and take a look, its right behind you.


26 posted on 01/20/2015 4:59:20 PM PST by calljack (Sometimes your worst nightmare is just a start.)
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To: Old Yeller

Ha!!


27 posted on 01/20/2015 5:01:42 PM PST by Cowgirl of Justice
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To: Calvin Locke
I'm guessing that iron makes up a minimal portion of what's up there.

The solar powered electromagnet was a failed attempt at humor. Solar powered anything is almost useless. That having been said, if you want additional drag on the debris, let's spray some foam in low Earth orbit. Better yet, dump a lot of those foam peanuts up there. The debris is orbiting at better than 16,000 mph. Place a bunch of ramp-shaped walls in space going the opposite direction to direct the debris downward into the atmosphere. I have a million crazy ideas!

28 posted on 01/20/2015 5:03:23 PM PST by roadcat
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To: onedoug

Ping


29 posted on 01/20/2015 5:34:25 PM PST by stylecouncilor
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To: Army Air Corps

Maybe we should take it to heart and do it.


30 posted on 01/20/2015 5:41:34 PM PST by SandRat (Duty - Honor - Country! What else need s said?)
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To: Libloather


31 posted on 01/20/2015 5:55:22 PM PST by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life :o)
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To: cripplecreek

How about a magnet attached to a space shuttle (like a large street sweeper)?


32 posted on 01/20/2015 6:06:15 PM PST by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: Libloather

I’ve always wondered why those “walking in space” don’t get hit by these things. Or are they all going the same direction?


33 posted on 01/20/2015 6:17:45 PM PST by VerySadAmerican (Obama voters are my enemy. And so are republican voters.)
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To: roadcat
Why not a huge electromagnet that's solar powered? Plenty of metal pieces...

Satellites are not typically made of ferrous metals. Magnets would not attract them.

34 posted on 01/20/2015 6:30:23 PM PST by GingisK
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To: GingisK

I remember Star Trek episode that a giant thing that looked like a bugle to destroy space garbage.


35 posted on 01/20/2015 6:36:58 PM PST by ThomasThomas (EGO venit lego tantum titulus Posteri)
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To: ThomasThomas

You’re talking about “The Doomsday Machine”. It sliced up planets and digested the bulk of each for power, leaving behind a lot of “small” rubble, however. Kirk nuked it from inside. (That probably created a lot of debris too, even tho’ the hull of the thing was not destroyed.)

One of ST’s best episodes, IMO.


36 posted on 01/20/2015 7:21:39 PM PST by Paul R. (Leftists desire to control everything; In the end they invariably control nothing worth a damn.)
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To: VerySadAmerican

Even “local space” is a very big place. There is a lot of distance between each piece of even 300,000 pieces of garbage orbiting the earth. So, the odds of a spacewalker getting hit are low, but not zero.


37 posted on 01/20/2015 7:26:04 PM PST by Paul R. (Leftists desire to control everything; In the end they invariably control nothing worth a damn.)
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To: roadcat
Solar powered anything is almost useless.

Most (nearly all) Earth orbiting satellites are solar powered. You might want to rephrase that.

38 posted on 01/20/2015 7:31:32 PM PST by NorthMountain (No longer TEA Party ... I'm the TAF Party)
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To: roadcat

Emphasis on “crazy”?

I’m imagining a 5 oz. piece of garbage hitting a 1 degree ramp at an approach speed of over 32,000 mph.

Silent “BOOM!” (Something on the order of 6 lbs. of TNT, if I’ve calculated correctly.)


39 posted on 01/20/2015 7:44:27 PM PST by Paul R. (Leftists desire to control everything; In the end they invariably control nothing worth a damn.)
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To: Paul R.
Silent “BOOM!” (Something on the order of 6 lbs. of TNT, if I’ve calculated correctly.

Trying to inject some off the wall humor into this topic, but no one is having it tonight, darn. Title is "... 300,000 piece of garbage orbiting earth, and it's a big problem". There are extremely few practical solutions other than the passage of hundreds of years of time, if not more, for this garbage to drift into Earth and disintegrate. At least we can joke about it...

40 posted on 01/20/2015 7:59:56 PM PST by roadcat
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