Space junk is less, but the problem remains

The amount of space debris and satellites in near-earth orbits decreased in the 4th quarter. 2014 from 16,994 to 16,906 objects, according to a NASA quarterly report on the situation in the near space as a result of updating the catalog of the US Strategic Command .

Most objects in orbit are of Russian origin (6385 pieces, satellites and garbage). In second place is the USA - 5028, in China - 3785.

For IV quarter. In 2014, 46 spacecraft and 41 associated objects were put into orbit. Thus, the amount of space debris naturally decreased by about 200 objects.
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However, the problem remains. In the catalog of the US Strategic Command, only objects with a diameter greater than 10 cm are listed. If we count objects greater than 1 cm, their number exceeds 300,000 units . Faced with the ISS module at a speed of 25,000 km / h, such a piece is quite capable of breaking a hole in the casing or knocking out a fragment of solar panels. What can we say, if the fragment gets into the astronaut's spacesuit (although the probability of this is negligible).

The threat is not so serious, but it must be taken into account. For example, in 2009, after an accidental collision of a Russian military satellite and an American communications satellite, a stream of 2000 fragments poured into the surrounding space. The illustration shows the location of the fragments 50 minutes after the collision.



The International Space Station had to maneuver in order to avoid fragments (these events formed the basis of the idea of ​​the plot of the film "Gravity").

By the way, the ISS warn of the need for maneuver, if there is a probability of a collision with a garbage object, exceeding 1 out of 100,000 .

Two years earlier, China deliberately blew up its satellite in orbit to test the rocket. This added 3,000 more fragments to the total amount of garbage.

So, although in the IV quarter. In 2014, the number of large objects in orbit decreased by 88 pieces, but any stupidity or state of emergency can greatly spoil the statistics and pose a threat to existing orbiters.