Originally published at: Space clean-up mission is complicated as junk is smashed by more junk | Boing Boing
…
8 Likes
13 Likes
another random piece of space junk has hit the adapter, creating even more space junk
It’s space junk, all the way down.
7 Likes
It’s hard to see how a SPECTRE satellite eater could do much about the problem. It can’t catch the majority of objects too small to see on radar, and isn’t needed for modern spacecraft that deorbit themselves, so that just leaves the shrinking population of older objects that are still in durable low orbits but haven’t yet become invisible shrapnel. And we’re talking billions upon billions of dollars to do even that.
No, I’m afraid our only realistic chance is the Katamari Damashii option.
8 Likes
I was gonna say “Vogons”, but yours is more all-encompassing.
5 Likes
it seems like the minute humanity discovers a new place, we start dumping trash or filling it with disease
I vaguely remember learning, in the “ecology” portion of high school biology: most organisms make the environment less hospitable for themselves. It’s not just humans.
The point of a diverse ecosystem is to have things that consume other things’ waste (he wrote, while inhaling tree waste by-products). Within the definition of “biodiversity” lies the problem that’s unique to humans.
(any actual ecologists in the house available to comment?)
4 Likes
I learned about this from a very good anime/manga that mentions the subject:
2 Likes
At this point there really needs to be a plan for anything we put up there to be able to come back down and burn up/crash into the ocean. I don’t know if something like a small solid rocket motor that is ignited at end of life would be enough to push it out of orbit or not, but something. The problem isn’t going to get better.
2 Likes
But what if she goes from suck to blow?
There’s also the Futurama version where you just shoot more trash at the trash since it’s the only thing that will have similar density.
That and dryer lint.
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
