Further study has shown that the shave was actually even closer, according to NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.
“It was very shocking personally, and also for all of us at NASA,” she said, adding that the encounter “really scared us all.”
While such hits remain rare, near misses such as the one TIMED survived are becoming more and more common, for Earth orbit is getting more and more crowded.
There are currently about 11,500 satellites circling our planet at the moment, 9,000 of which are operational, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).
There are about 36,500 pieces of space junk at least 4 inches (10 centimeters) wide in Earth orbit, ESA estimates, and more than 130 million shards at least 1 millimeter across.
And that increased push includes an integrated “space sustainability strategy,” the first part of which NASA released the day of Melroy’s talk.
NASA’s sustainability strategy will eventually encompass four domains: Earth, Earth orbit, cislunar space (the region near and around the moon) and deep space.
The 35-page first volume focuses on sustainability in Earth orbit, agency officials said.
It is even more narrowly than we initially believed that humanity just avoided an orbiting bullet.
Early on in February. 28, NASA’s TIMED spacecraft, which has been studying Earth’s atmosphere since 2001, and the defunct Russian spy satellite Cosmos 2221 zoomed within an uncomfortably close pass in orbit, coming within just 65 feet (20 meters) of one another.
Regardless, that was the original estimate. NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy claims that additional research has revealed the shave was actually even closer.
In a presentation on April 9 at the 39th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Melroy stated, “We recently learned through analysis that the pass ended up being less than 10 meters [33 feet] apart — within the hard-body parameters of both satellites.”.
She said, “It was really shocking personally, and it really scared all of us at NASA.”. “.”.
See also: 7 insane suggestions for clearing out space junk.
“Had the two satellites collided, we would have seen significant debris generation — tiny shards traveling tens of thousands of miles an hour, waiting to puncture a hole in another spacecraft, potentially putting human lives at risk,” she said in response to the concern. “.
This problem goes beyond theory. For instance, a piece of space debris from the Zenit-2 rocket, which launched Russia’s Tselina-2 spy satellite in 1996, appears to have struck the Chinese military satellite Yunhai 1-02 in August of 2021.
Even though these hits are still uncommon, near misses like the one that TIMED survived are growing more frequent due to the increasing density of Earth’s orbit.
The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates that of the approximately 11,500 satellites orbiting our planet at present, nine thousand are in operation. It should be noted that over half of these operational craft are a part of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network; at present, the constantly expanding megaconstellation comprises almost 5,800 satellites.
But it’s only one aspect of the situation. More than 130 million shards that are at least 1 millimeter across and 36,500 pieces of space junk that are at least 4 inches (10 centimeters) wide are estimated by ESA to be in Earth orbit.
As Melroy pointed out, given the velocities involved, even such tiny pieces of debris can cause harm to satellites and the International Space Station (ISS). Things travel at a speed of approximately 17,500 mph (28,160 kph) at the ISS’s orbit, which is roughly 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. This is far faster than the speed of a bullet.
According to Melroy, NASA has made efforts over the years to lessen the issue of space junk. She gave the agency’s work from 20 years ago as an example, pointing to it helping to put “common-sense practices” into practice, like passivating rocket upper stages while they are in orbit, which entails, among other things, venting the remaining fuel to lessen the explosion potential.
However, Melroy stated that the organization wishes to take more action. NASA unveiled the first section of the integrated “space sustainability strategy” on the day of Melroy’s talk, as part of this increased push.
According to an agency statement released on April 9, “The space sustainability strategy was developed under the leadership of a cross-agency advisory board and focuses on advancements NASA can make toward measuring and assessing space sustainability in Earth orbit, identifying cost-effective ways to meet sustainability targets, and increasing efforts to share and receive information with the rest of the global space community.”.
Four domains will eventually be covered by NASA’s sustainability strategy: Earth, Earth orbit, cislunar space (the area around the moon), and deep space. According to agency officials, the first volume, spanning 35 pages, centers on sustainability in Earth orbit.
