Dina Temple-Raston, the host and managing editor of Click Here, dives into the escalating issue of space debris. She explores the startling rise in satellite numbers, now over 10,000, and the subsequent hazards that come with crowding in low Earth orbit. The discussion highlights the dangers posed by debris collisions and how state-sponsored hacking could weaponize inactive satellites. Temple-Raston emphasizes the urgent need for robust monitoring systems and proactive space traffic management to address these mounting threats.
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insights INSIGHT
Tiny Space Debris is Dangerous
Even tiny paint flecks orbit Earth at 17,000 mph, turning them into dangerous projectiles.
Astronaut Ed Liu saw numerous small holes on the International Space Station caused by such debris.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Space Debris Found on Earth
Australian cattle farmer Jordan Hobbs found a mysterious piece of space debris in his yard.
It turned out to be part of an Elon Musk satellite that had fallen to Earth.
insights INSIGHT
Cosmic Traffic Control Emerges
Ed Liu co-founded Leo Labs to map and track satellites and debris as cosmic traffic control.
Their radars help predict collisions, allowing satellites to maneuver and avoid crashes.
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Written and illustrated by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 'The Little Prince' tells the story of a young prince who travels from his small home planet to Earth, encountering various characters that symbolize the absurdities and narrow-mindedness of grown-ups. The prince, who deeply loves a rose on his home planet, learns valuable lessons about the importance of human connections and the uniqueness of loved ones through his interactions with a fox and other characters. The story is a poignant reflection on life, human nature, and the importance of seeing with the heart rather than the eyes.
U.S. officials are turning their attention to a pressing problem in space. Not asteroids crashing into earth, but something else: space debris.
Thousands of satellites have been launched into space because our modern life depends on them. There are about 10,000 active satellites in low earth orbit right now. But as more and more of them go up, space is getting crowded.
And where there's crowds, there's waste. Millions of pieces of space debris are circling Earth right now. There are big pieces — everything from dead satellites to spent rocket stages. And tiny ones like blots and paint flecks. But they're all whizzing around at speeds that can be faster than a speeding bullet.
We team up with our friends at the Click Here podcast to take a look at the problem of space debris. We discuss what could happen if an adversary hacks an old satellite and uses it as a weapon.
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