There has been so much talk lately about how much we pollute our planet but it looks like humans also pollute space and then some.
- The Earth is engulfed in space debris
- Since 1957 many pieces of spacecraft have been gathering around our planet
- Debris are dangerous as they can collide with functioning satellites
It’s already pretty clear to everyone that the Earth is indeed polluted anywhere we may look, whether it is water, soil or air. And the ones who are behind this are us, humans. Of course, we are starting to realize what we’ve done and trying to make amends but given the rate at which things evolve and how much damage has already been done, it is quite difficult to make repairs.
Also, many of you have probably observed the obsession we seem to have with outer-space, the Universe, planets, suns, galaxies, stars and other cosmic objects. We’re fascinated by the mystery of it, being curious whether or not a comet will represent the end of our world, when in fact the end of our world as well as the world surrounding us is more likely to happen because of pollution.
The Royal Institution of Great Britain provides us with a sneak peek and an eye-opener for the pollution we have caused to the Universe. They made a short, interactive video that shows how the surroundings of our planet have changed ever since we sent the first satellite to orbit in 1957.
Since then, various parts of rockets and other spacecraft objects have been increasing in numbers and circling the Earth. The pieces of junk are still tracked by scientists to make sure they won’t come into collision with other satellites that are still functioning.
Although there are pieces which are very small and have not yet been tracked mainly because they are less easy to observe, they can still pose a threat for objects which are still in use. The huge rockets that are launched in space don’t go all the way up in the form they leave our planet. After delivering their payloads, the bodies of the rockets float off into an orbit, usually ours and can stay there, above out planet for hundreds of years.
Moreover, accidents happened such as in 2007, a missile tested by the Chinese created over 2,000 pieces and many other satellites have collided making, literally, a mess.
Image source: www.bing.com
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