2030, Space Trash Rise 3 Times Fold

 

Science Info-In a conference, William Shelton, chairman of the U.S. Air Force Space Command expressed concern about the increasing number of man-made space junk.

"The numbers continue to rise. Now it has more than 50 countries involved in space exploration, "Shelton said, as quoted from Space, May 10, 2011. "Currently, more than 20 thousand objects in the unused space," he said.

Currently, Shelton said, it continues to monitor regularly the growth of space debris. "Looking at growth trends, it is estimated that number will triple by 2030," he said. "In fact, the possibility of the amount of waste is 10 times more because we have sensors that are currently not able to keep track of all the waste that exists," said Shelton.

Terrible, call Shelton, objects that become garbage is very dangerous. "They can damage the system of military space, civil space systems, commercial satellites, and others," he said. "No one is immune from the threat that is in orbit today," Shelton said.

According to Marshall Kaplan, an expert on space debris of the Space Department, Johns Hopkins University, space junk in low earth orbit have been accumulating since the past 50 years. Last additions are, remnants of Anti-Satellite Test (asat) of China in 2007.

"One of these trials has increased the number of objects from the rubble about 35 percent," said Kaplan. "Worse, located at an altitude of 865 kilometers, where most populous region generally orbiting satellites," he said.

Another case, in February 2009, Iridium Satellite 33, US-owned communications satellite collides with the Cosmos, the Russian spacecraft that was not used, at an altitude similar to China's asat test. As a result, pieces of debris scattered more.

"The results of satellite launches during the past 50 years and the two events, now the area between the altitude of 700 kilometers to 1300 kilometers there jutaaan debris size from a few millimeters to several meters," says Kaplan.

Unfortunately, says Kaplan, the growth of this waste can not be reversed. Cleanup efforts space would be too expensive. "Currently there is nothing we can do. We do not have sufficient funds, the technology does not exist, and there is no cooperation. No one wants to fund this effort, "said Kaplan.

Kaplan added, the cleaning space is 'industry that continues to grow' but no one wanted to do. "In addition, politically, it is also not profitable," he said.