There are at least 19,000 pieces of space debris in Earth's orbit, not including active satellites, that the U.S is monitoring.
There are at least 19,000 pieces of space debris in Earth's orbit, not including active satellites, that the U.S is monitoring.In this handout photo released by Roscosmos Space Agency Press Service, a view of the International Space Station taken on Mar. 30, 2022 by crew of Russian Soyuz MS-19 space ship after undocking from the Station.
Had the maneuver had not been conducted, the debris would have come within nearly 2.5 miles of the station, NASA also says. The debris was"small," U.S. Space Forces-Space tells NPR.NASA says that agency and other ISS partners were made aware of the"potential conjunction risk" on Sunday. The agency, along with the U.S. Space Force and other partners, monitored the debris before deciding to carry out the maneuver, NASA says.
The ISS, which travels at least 17,500 mph, is in orbit in an environment filled with hundreds of satellites and thousands of pieces of space debris. According to the Aerospace Corporation, which supports national security space programs, even a small a blueberry-sized piece of space debris"can create the impact of a falling anvil." And a collision with a small piece can"involve considerable energy," NASA says.
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