Collision Course: Understanding the Risks of Space Debris - MSU Billings Library Lecture Series
Apr 9, 2024, 6:30 PM
Debris from past space missions can stick around in Earth orbit for decades, threatening access to space. Traveling at 17,000 mph, even the smallest paint flecks and shrapnel can endanger active spacecraft and astronauts. Each collision in orbit can generate many thousands of new pieces of debris. How does space debris impact human activity in space? What are we doing to track debris and keep spacecraft safe? How do we keep Earth orbit usable for future generations? We will examine these and other questions in an interactive presentation.
