Pretty big issue.

https://www.nasa.gov/offices/nesc/articles/space-debris

Yes it'd be a massive issue. The faster you're going the bigger an issue it is.

Imagine you’re traveling at NLS speeds, which would be necessary for travel between solar systems. Just to escape our solar system you have the Oort Cloud to deal with, and without some kind of deflection system would rip any vessel to shreds (really it would blow up but that’s a more fun way to imagine it).

Even barring that, there are probably countless small bodies we haven’t detected floating freely that would pierce the hull when traveling at those speeds.

I think it will be more likely that we have maps of space and just plot courses to avoid anything that cant be run over.

Hitting something that would cause mission-threatening damage would be rare - but the radiation will be a continuous threat.

[removed]

I understand the destructive capabilities of hitting any debris but I was more question if the debris is abundant enough to even come into contact with it.

Right but what I'm saying is if you're going fast enough *dust* is "debris"

And space is *full* of dust

I see

Hello u/TwoThirdsDone, your submission "How much of an issue would asteroids and other space debris really be when travelling between planets or to other solar systems?" has been removed from r/space because:

• Such questions should be asked in the "All space questions" thread stickied at the top of the sub.

Please read the rules in the sidebar and check r/space for duplicate submissions before posting. If you have any questions about this removal please message the r/space moderators. Thank you.

*Full* of dust