Poll: Do Decaying SpaceX Starlink Satellites Represent A Risk To Earthlings?
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AirVenture Video: Alsim Simulator
ALSIM is showcasing the AL250 at AirVenture 2024. Sy Pinkert from AVweb had the chance to test it out and discuss with Jason Da...
At least one earthling has been hit with Space debris in the past. The event occurred in Tulsa Oklahoma back in 1997 when she was hit by debris from a Delta II rocket. If memory serves me she was hit on the shoulder.
And in the time it took to read this, somewhere in the world, 12 people have died from bee stings, 4 were bitten by sharks, 7 drowned in a bathtub, and 47 were killed in automobiles. Hmmm….seems like a dangerous world out there! I’ll take my chances with space junk!
And yet there is absolutely no concern of ALL the space junk in orbit from NASA…..people are just concerned with Elon.
And let’s not forget the launches from the other side of this ball of water & dirt (China, Russia, India, etc). Get the Supercluster app and you’ll see how much known “stuff” is leaving this planet – considerable!
OK. Setting the politics aside, as the total amount of space junk from all sources increases, the odds of a person or building (etc.) on the earth’s surface, or an aircraft in flight, being struck — however small today — increases. Maybe an imperfect analogy, but as we fly toward the vicinity of a busy airport, traffic volume increases, and the threat of a mid-air becomes more critical. Of course, we have tools to mitigate that hazard (e.g., eyeballs, ATC traffic call-outs, ADS-B).