What is the problem caused by space debris?
At the start of the space era, when missions ended, satellite operators simply abandoned their spacecraft. These, plus spent booster stages and other detritus, stayed up there until their orbits decayed and they fall back to Earth, or until they collided with each other. Even after the end of the mission, batteries and pressurised systems as well as fuel tanks explode. This generates debris objects, which contribute to the growing particle population, ranging from less than a micrometer to 10 centimetres or more in size. In orbit, relative velocities can be quite large, ranging in the tens of thousands of kilometres per hour. For Envisat, for example, the most probable relative velocity between the spacecraft and a debris object is 52,000 kilometres per hour. If a debris objects hits a satellite, the ISS or the Shuttle, it could cause severe damage or catastrophe. Is there any technology that can eliminate these post-mission explosions? About 40% of ground-trackable space debris come f
