Humans have been polluting the Earth for centuries, and its toll has been noted throughout the globe. From the landfills that built New York City, to the piles of garbage off in the oceans, this trash has been accumulated over the years as we have advanced more as a civilization, and subsequently, ignored environmental violations. As a result, we have killed thousands of species, but what might be worse is that we are likely going to kill ourselves. This doesn’t mean we would have all-out nuclear war, but our tendencies to pollute and not care are going to cause harm. This is the issue with pollution out in space.
Image Credit: NASA
Pollution in space began after the creation of the first satellite, Sputnik 1, that launched in October of 1957. This satellite prompted other countries to launch their own satellites, either for spying or communications. Unfortunately, however, satellites have a limited life-span, and when they die their debris floats around in space, endlessly orbiting the Earth. On top of dead satellites, there are numerous nuts and bolts, and various parts of aircrafts that have been left in space after sending astronauts onto their mission. This all accumulates into what is called, space trash.
Countries also add to the space trash by blowing up satellites. This has been done by the U.S, Russia, India, and China, but in-particular, India has been testing their anti-satellite missiles. This will likely be followed by other countries, but it too is a source of space debris. Another source of space debris is the collision of space satellites with one another. More specifically, the collision of inactive and active satellites. For instance, the collision between the decommissioned satellite Cosmos 2251 and the active Iridium 33, shows that these collisions do happen, and they do launch copious amounts of debris out into space.
Image Credit: HuffPost
Space debris is important because it must be removed from Earth’s orbit. It can cause a significant amount of harm to other satellites that are important for crucial communications, and or satellites that are for intelligence purposes. This poses unique advantages and disadvantages, but the fact remains clear that this debris should be removed. In addition, the space debris can also hinder space exploration missions. It has been noted that the International Space Station (ISS) may have to move to avoid damage by space debris.
If we, as a species, want to explore the universe, we first must perfect our abilities here at home. If this involves cleaning up after our previous messes, then the future of space travel will be as secure as ever. Therefore, for the betterment of humanity, space debris must be cleaned up, or else, in the long-run, it will have devastating impacts on our exploration and daily lives.
I had no idea that there were so many things contributing to space pollution or that it was really even an issue at all before this. I can see how this could go vastly unnoticed, but why it is vital moving forward to find more solutions to help decrease space debris to preserve our space system and be able to explore more and continue with important communications and operations. I feel like everyone focuses so much on the pollution on our earth that they can forget about the other types of harm outside of the earth’s surface that could be created.
I always wondered about what happened to those unsuccessful satellites that different countries sent into space. To know that they just float around as space trash, clouding the area that is space is unsettling. I agree with you in saying that we must clean up our previous messes here on Earth before we can go creating new ones in space. That seems like the most responsible decision that we can make in order to avoid the devastating impact that pollution, both on Earth and in space, can have.
I definitely think this issue should be more frequently discussed. I have never heard anyone talk about the ill effects of “space trash.” I think we are much too focused on ruining our earth and that we forget about polluting Outerspace. Obviously, something must be done to solve this problem. What I found most interesting is how you brought up India’s anti-satellite missiles. While I can understand the need to protect a country from enemy satellites in our technological age, I think it is ridiculously stupid to be blowing up stuff in space. Not only does it add to this space pollution, but it also distracts from our far more serious issues on earth.