Astronauts Forced to Take Shelter as Debris Cloud Threatens Space Station

[Ivan Leon]

All seven astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station are having to take shelter inside their respective spacecraft owing to the sudden appearance of a debris cloud in orbit, the source of which remains unclear.

Information is slowly trickling in, but we do know that the ISS is currently functioning normally and that all seven crew members are healthy and safe.

The crew had to take shelter earlier this morning due to the sudden appearance of an orbiting debris field. The unexplained breakup of the defunct Russian satellite Kosmos-1408 is currently the leading candidate for the source of the orbiting debris cloud.

NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer are sheltering inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon docked to the ISS, while Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, Pyotr Dubrov, and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei are inside a Soyuz capsule, reports Russian state-owned news agency TASS.

The astronauts could use these spacecraft to safely return to Earth in the event the ISS is damaged by the debris.

A live feed of NASA mission control is available, allowing you to follow the events as they’re happening.

Astronauts Forced to Take Shelter as Debris Cloud Threatens Space Station

The debris cloud formed after Russia intentionally destroyed one of its defunct satellites, the U.S. State Department says.

gizmodo.com

 

[Ivan Leon]

Astronauts shelter from debris: Kessler syndrome coming to life? - EarthSky​

What is the Kessler syndrome?​

As early as 1978, NASA scientist Donald Kessler was pondering what would happen as more satellites took up residence in orbit around Earth.

He authored a paper, along with Burton G. Cour-Palais, that the Journal of Geophysical Research published on June 1 of that year.

They theorized that as the number of artificial satellites increased in Earth’s orbit, so would the probability of collisions between the satellites, until eventually Earth might be saddled with a belt of debris.

This theory of a coming cascade of collisions is now known as the Kessler syndrome, and we are closer than ever to that future becoming a reality.

Kessler syndrome: A scenario in which the density of objects in low-Earth orbit is high enough that collisions between objects cause a cascade, with each collision generating space debris that increases the likelihood of further collisions.

| EarthSky

earthsky.org

 

[Ivan Leon]

 

[Ivan Leon]

 

[azbob]

Someone made a whole thread about cosmic debris?

 

[Ivan Leon]

Cosmik Debris - Frank Zappa​

 

[Ivan Leon]

Russian anti-satellite missile test endangers space station crew – NASA (via Daily Maverick)​

An anti-satellite missile test Russia conducted on Monday generated a debris field in low-Earth orbit that endangered the International Space Station (ISS) and will pose a hazard to space activities for years, U.S. officials said.

The seven-member space station crew – four U.S. astronauts, a German astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts – were directed to take shelter in their docked spaceship capsules for two hours after the test as a precaution to allow for a quick getaway had it been necessary, NASA said.

The research lab, orbiting about 250 miles (402 km) above Earth, continued to pass through or near the debris cluster every 90 minutes, but NASA specialists determined it was safe for the crew to return to the station’s interior after the third pass, the agency said.

The crew was also ordered to seal off hatches to several modules of the International Space Station (ISS) for the time being, according to NASA.

“NASA will continue monitoring the debris in the coming days and beyond to ensure the safety of our crew in orbit,” NASA chief Bill Nelson said in the statement.

Experts say the testing of weapons that shatter satellites in orbit pose a space hazard by creating clouds of fragments that can collide with other objects, setting off a chain reaction of projectiles through Earth orbit [known as the Kessler syndrome].

Russia's space explosions: Russian anti-satellite missile test endangers space station crew – NASA

WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - An anti-satellite missile test Russia conducted on Monday generated a debris field in low-Earth orbit that endangered the International Space Station and will pose a hazard to space activities for years, U.S. officials said.

www.dailymaverick.co.za

 

[Gordon_R]

BBC version:

Russian anti-satellite missile test draws condemnation

The US says Russia "recklessly" destroyed a satellite, endangering astronauts in space.

www.bbc.com

 

[bwana]

Bet the Wolowitz Zero-Gravity Waste Disposal System is working overtime.

 

[Ivan Leon]

Kessler Syndrome and the space debris problem - space.com​

This feared space-junk cascade called Kessler Syndrome may have already begun.

The Kessler Syndrome is a phenomenon in which the amount of junk in orbit around Earth reaches a point where it just creates more and more space debris, causing big problems for satellites, astronauts and mission planners.

Consider this scenario: The destruction of a dead spy satellite spawns a swarm of debris in Earth orbit, which wreaks ever-increasing havoc as it zooms around our planet.

The cloud destroys a number of communications satellites, generating more and more debris with every violent collision.

It takes out the iconic Hubble Space Telescope and a NASA space shuttle, killing several crewmembers aboard the winged vehicle.

It then lines the International Space Station (ISS) up in its crosshairs, destroying the $100 billion orbiting lab with a hail of fast-flying shrapnel.

This dramatic scene is fictional, of course; it's pulled from the award-winning 2013 sci-fi film "Gravity."

But many satellite operators, mission planners and exploration advocates worry that it could be a dark window into a future that's all too real, thanks to the Kessler Syndrome.

Read on to learn more about this feared phenomenon, which describes a snowballing cascade of space junk.

Kessler Syndrome and the space debris problem

This feared space-junk cascade called Kessler Syndrome may have already begun.

www.space.com

 

[GhostSixFour]

As I understand it, unless the satellites that are up there at moment uses some form of propulsion, eventually their orbit will decay and they will burn up in the atmosphere. Won't the same thing happen to this debris? Orbit decay and burn up in the atmosphere. Is the fears around the debris whilst this happening? I understand that this particular one was quite high up.

 

[Geoff.D]

As I understand it, unless the satellites that are up there at moment uses some form of propulsion, eventually their orbit will decay and they will burn up in the atmosphere. Won't the same thing happen to this debris? Orbit decay and burn up in the atmosphere. Is the fears around the debris whilst this happening? I understand that this particular one was quite high up.

Correct. The space debris in this case is now only subjected to the natural forces at play to decay the orbit over decades.

The idea of "destroying (LEO especially) satellites in orbit" with a weapon of some sort is a completely stupid idea.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

like most problems, the private sector will eventually solve this problem,
as just like on earth Garbage trucks can be privately owned and do a better job than the Municipality/Government.

so maybe thats what we need, a space trash force to clean up LEO or zap them into Graveyard orbits

 

[Geoff.D]

like most problems, the private sector will eventually solve this problem,
as just like on earth Garbage trucks can be privately owned and do a better job than the Municipality/Government.

so maybe thats what we need, a space trash force to clean up LEO or zap them into Graveyard orbits

Ja Elon Musk and his Billions can surely come up with a space debris gobbling rocket? I mean, he is in the process of creating the largest amount of future space junk ever seen in the industry.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Ja Elon Musk and his Billions can surely come up with a space debris gobbling rocket? I mean, he is in the process of creating the largest amount of future space junk ever seen in the industry.

why a rocket? a big Laser that Zaps junk from the ground would do Nicely as well.
many solutions but not enough private enterprises that can deal with the problem before it gets too bad.

 

[Geoff.D]

why a rocket? a big Laser that Zaps junk from the ground would do Nicely as well.
many solutions but not enough private enterprises that can deal with the problem before it gets too bad.

Because no known weapon available today will destroy the junk completely. It will just create more smaller bits. The Idea is stupid to the extreme.

 

[WollieVerstege]

Ja Elon Musk and his Billions can surely come up with a space debris gobbling rocket? I mean, he is in the process of creating the largest amount of future space junk ever seen in the industry.

The option would be to build some type of gravity tractor that can draw the object down into the atmosphere faster and out of harms way. The tractor itself can even be reusable.
The only question would be how you would avoid it pulling down working satellites in the process, but this should be a minor issue to overcome.

 

[GhostSixFour]

why a rocket? a big Laser that Zaps junk from the ground would do Nicely as well.
many solutions but not enough private enterprises that can deal with the problem before it gets too bad.

Probably the best method that we've got now would be some form of additional ships/rockets that would need to knock this debris out of their orbit with compressed air or similar. Problem is, to get things into space is expensive, and getting something up there with sole purpose of cleaning, whilst a noble cause, would still need some investors. And as much as the billionaires are racing to space, they aren't exactly racing to clean it up.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Probably the best method that we've got now would be some form of additional ships/rockets that would need to knock this debris out of their orbit with compressed air or similar. Problem is, to get things into space is expensive, and getting something up there with sole purpose of cleaning, whilst a noble cause, would still need some investors. And as much as the billionaires are racing to space, they aren't exactly racing to clean it up.

so why cant it operate like a salvage business?
I mean to clean up a capsized cruise liner has companies bidding against each other,

what if the same thing happened in Space? companies bidding against each other to clean up LEO or higher orbits?

 

[Kosmik]

Use a stage 2 that's finished is job to pull debris out or snag it in for a re entry burn up.