There is a bunch of junk flying around our planet, and it’s causing big problems. What can be done?
It was December 3, 2021, and the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) were in trouble. An object hurtling through space was headed straight toward them. If it hit, the station would be obliterated.
Was this object a giant asteroid? Or a speeding comet? In fact, it was neither of those things. The object flying toward the ISS was a small piece of an old rocket that was launched into space 28 years ago.
In other words, it was a piece of space junk.
Fast Trash
Space junk, also known as “orbital space debris,” refers to all the human-made objects in space that no longer serve a purpose. There are bolts, screws, rocket parts, lost tools like screwdrivers, and much more. The debris ranges in size from giant dead satellites to tiny chips of paint.
This junk began to accumulate in the 1950s, when humans first started exploring space. Back then, most scientists weren’t too worried about the many items we were leaving behind. After all, most objects in orbit eventually fall back into our atmosphere, where they harmlessly burn up high in the sky.
But here’s the problem: It can take decades, or even centuries, for that to happen. In the meantime, space junk doesn’t just float around peacefully. Most of it zooms around Earth at a whopping 17,500 mph. (At that speed, you could travel across 73 football fields in one second!) When moving that fast, even a fleck of paint can have the destructive power of a bomb.
More Collisions
Currently, the world’s space agencies can track debris that is about the size of a softball or bigger. Debris that large, however, is just a fraction of all the junk in space. Most of it is too small to see coming.
Experts like Dr. John L. Crassidis, a professor and aerospace engineer, say that collisions will become an increasing problem. And each collision will create even more debris.
“There’s going to be a cascading effect,” says Crassidis. “It’s a huge worry.”
These collisions won’t affect only the ISS. Satellites that we rely on for all sorts of things—watching TV, using the internet, tracking storms—are at risk too.
Fortunately, the piece of debris speeding toward the ISS last December was large enough to track, so the crew had enough time to maneuver the station out of harm’s way. Still, incidents like that one are becoming more common. In the past two years, the ISS has had to dodge space junk at least five times.
Alligator Teeth
Courtesy of Karl Ochsner
Back row, left to right: Mary Anne Gleason, Lily de Tagyos, Keira Demes, Abby Bomely. Front: Renata McCoy.
The good news is that scientists, engineers, and leaders around the world are working to tackle the problem of space junk. The European Space Agency is planning to launch a four-armed robotic claw that can grab debris and drag it into Earth’s atmosphere, where it will burn up. A company in Japan is developing a spacecraft that uses magnets to move space junk. And a U.S. company is experimenting with shooting a puff of powder in front of debris to change its course.
Will these ideas get rid of space junk once and for all? While they are exciting, Crassidis says, there is still work to be done. And he’s hopeful that your generation will be up to the challenge.
Turns out, some kids are already getting started.
Courtesy of Renata McCoy (sketch); Courtesy of Karl Ochsner (prototype)
The yellow alligator head is a prototype of the group’s device
This past year, as part of NASA’s TechRise Student Challenge, five sixth-graders from Park Ridge, Illinois, teamed up to design a space junk collecting device. It’s shaped like an alligator, with rows of magnetic “teeth” that attract and collect bits of metal space junk. In spring 2023, the students’ device will be launched into space for a three-minute test run.
While working on the project, the students have learned that when you have an idea for something, you should always try it—even if it seems impossible.
“You can do anything you put your mind to,” says Mary Anne Gleason, age 12.
Follow that advice and maybe the next time astronauts are in trouble, it’ll be your invention that saves the day.
Short Write: Why is it important to solve the problem of space junk?
Directions: In your own document, answer the question above in a well-organized paragraph. Be sure to use at least two pieces of text evidence to support your answer.
This article was originally published in the September 2022 issue.
1. PREPARING TO READ
2. READING AND DISCUSSING
3. DOING THE ACTIVITY
4. WRITING
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There is a bunch of junk flying around our planet, and it’s causing big problems. What can be done?
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