JUST above Earth’s surface is a disc of space debris hurtling through space at speeds high enough to do more than rattle the International Space Station.
Earth’s orbit is becoming so cluttered with man-made and natural objects it could restrict space travel in the future.
Nasa and the United States Space Force have a network of sensors scanning the sky and keeping tabs on all 27,000 pieces of space larger than 10 centimeters.
Objects in Earth’s orbit travel at about 15,000 miles per hour – fast enough that if a small piece collided with a satellite or space ship it could do serious damage.
A Blue Origin engineer posted an image of an aluminum block that was nearly pulverized when a piece of space debris weighing less than an ounce collided with its broadside while in orbit.
CNET reported that the International Space Station (ISS) has to engage in about one evasive maneuver per year to avoid collisions with space junk.
