What Causes Space Junk?
Debris in orbit can come from many sources: • Exploding rockets – This leaves behind the most debris in space. • The slip of an astronaut’s hand – Suppose an astronaut doing repair in space drops a wrench — it’s gone forever. The wrench then goes into orbit, probably at a speed of something like 6 miles per second. If the wrench hits any vehicle carrying a human crew, the results could be disastrous. Larger objects like a space station make a larger target for space junk, and so are at greater risk. • Jettisoned items – Parts of launch canisters, camera lens caps, etc. Items initially placed into high orbits stay in space the longest. The European Space Agency tracks more than 7,500 orbiting items with a width of 4 inches (10 cm) or more. Space debris may also be a reason why space shuttles typically orbit with their windows to the rear. This protects the astronauts onboard, at least to some degree. A special NASA satellite called Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) was put in orbi
