The effort to clean up space junk might take a variety of different methods, and here's a look at some of. To get a description of the file type, select it. Under Files to delete, select the file types to get rid of. Select the drive you want to clean up, and then select OK. In 2020 alone, the agency had to perform three such maneuvers, according to former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine. Litter isn't just a problem for terra firma, it's a very real problem in space as well. In the search box on the taskbar, type disk cleanup, and select Disk Cleanup from the list of results. The International Space Station has been hit by space debris in the past, and over the course of the station's history, NASA has had to perform at least 26 special maneuvers to dodge wayward objects that wandered too close to the orbiting outpost. It's estimated that these pieces of debris will remain in orbit for decades or longer, posing collision risks that could further exacerbate the problem. The collision created a cloud of more than 2,000 pieces of space junk measuring at least 4 inches wide. One of the most notable examples of an orbital crash occurred in 2009, when a defunct Russian satellite known as Cosmos 2251 smashed into a U.S.-based Iridium 33 communications satellite. "If we have a higher and higher density of objects in these very narrow regions of space, that will lead to more collisions over time." "Even though space is big, the usable orbits where we keep our satellites are quite small," Rosengren said.
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Overcrowding in orbit is also exacerbated by companies such as SpaceX and OneWeb that are assembling huge "megaconstellations" of internet satellites around Earth.īits of space junk, which fly through orbit at up to 18,000 miles per hour, can threaten other functioning spacecraft and pose safety risks to astronauts on the International Space Station. If successful, ELSA-d could pave the way for future commercial services that reduce the amount of debris in space and promote more sustainable operations in orbit.Ĭoncerns about space debris have grown in recent years as low-Earth orbit has become more congested and as society's reliance on satellite systems for telecommunications, GPS and myriad other everyday functions has grown. Known as ELSA-d, the mission will test technologies to capture an object in low-Earth orbit and move it to a lower altitude, where it will eventually burn up harmlessly in Earth's atmosphere. On Saturday, a new mission is set to launch that aims to clean up some of the debris that is languishing in orbit around the planet.