What happens when space debris re-enters the earths atmosphere?
Over recent years thousands of individual items of hardware have been placed in space orbit, varying in size from a few cubic centimetres to complete space laboratories weighing many tonnes with some having on-board nuclear reactors. Whilst most items disintegrate and burn up entirely on re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere, experience has shown that it is possible for pieces of considerable size and weight to reach the surface of the earth.
