According to the European Space Agency there are 17,000 bits of space junk floating around Earth. These objects can be the size of a coffee cup or larger, but even a tiny object, such as a nut or bolt, can cause some serious damage. Especially when it is orbiting the planet at hundreds or thousands of kilometers per hour.
The Oscar nominated movie “Gravity” provided a vivid simulation of the potential risks that space based FOD could present to future space missions. With this in mind, the ESA will be holding a symposium in May to discuss different space-debris removal technologies and procedures.
European Space Agency Targets Space FOD
March 3, 2014 by
