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Published online 15 April 2009 | Nature 458, 814 (2009) | doi:10.1038/458814b
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Collision debris increases risk to Earth-observing satellites
European study finds wreckage from recent collision in the spaceways.
The collision of two communications satellites on 10 February has significantly increased the risk to Europe's Earth-observing programme.
The European Space Agency's ERS-2 and Envisat missions are 30% more likely to face a catastrophic impact from space debris in the wake of the collision, according to Heiner Klinkrad, head of ESA's Space Debris Office in Darmstadt, Germany.
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With thousands of satellites already orbiting, and compounded by more new ones being launched from pads all over the globe, it would be naïve not to be concerned with the increasing of space debris (particularly those relatively larger wreckage). Many obsolete satellites are gradually slowing down, and a decade down the road, the sky will be virtually saturated with them. Collision could then occur more often than one would want to imagine before they re-enter the earth?s atmosphere to be burnt away or plunged into oceans or land. That would certainly pose a great threat to the launching of future satellites. Is there a tangible way of clearing the debris? What about a giant space vacuum-cleaner? (Tan Boon Tee)
Vacuum cleaners don't work in a vacuum, B T Tan.