Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Silliestmonkey t1_jbvzini wrote

Reply to comment by wsclose in Scientists call for global action to clean up space junk by thebelsnickle1991

I mean if these little scraps collide and fall to earth who’s responsible? Are they just gonna hit the Earth as shrapnel?

2

wsclose t1_jbwc7c7 wrote

Most objects burn up in our atmosphere on reentry, so not a lot or worry over falling debris.

5

RedJimi t1_jbxtud7 wrote

You seem to have it backwards. We WANT the smallest shrapnel to fall to the atmosphere because then they'll burn up. The problem is the stuff that is way above the effects of atmospheric drag (the top of the atmosphere varies at 10-17 km) and travelling at the speed required to maintain the orbital height they're at. They might stay there indefinitely unless we learn how to make gravity guns or something. For example, some orbital speeds: 6.90 km/s @ 2000 km, 7.35 km/s @ 1000 km.

2