What is Digg?51 Comments
- JYoungest1, on 04/12/2008, -0/+15No one seems to realize that the radius of the earth at that height is significantly larger compared to even the ground level, do some math, throw in pi, and then think about how big the stuff floating out there is. We could toss a 100,000 times more of them out there and still have plenty of room to get in and out. The high res pictures are garbage, very poor 3d designed and even worse photoshoping, if they were to try to attempt to do them to scale, you wouldnt see a single one.
- Battlecry, on 04/12/2008, -1/+10Boy, by looking at the high-res pictures, it looks like there's a lot of empty beer bottles and beer cans out in space.
- duk0r, on 04/12/2008, -1/+7Thank you! I was wondering when some one would speak up. Comon' people, do the math. That really isn't THAT much junk. However it is dangerous considering some of the speeds the debris is traveling at.
- Boggy1, on 04/12/2008, -0/+5This could very well be the onset of Kessler Syndrome; where the lower Earth orbit becomes so crowded with junk, that it becomes impossible to launch anything into space without a significant risk of impact by debris. Scary stuff.
- ghank, on 04/12/2008, -1/+5Yeah, its real. this is the ONLY pic that doesn't have all our space junk photo shopped out. I think you've discovered the conspiracy, and if I were you, I'd go into hiding and never comment again. Big brother is watching.................
- pinchduck, on 04/12/2008, -0/+3that was inbound. It was falling to earth anyway. No part of that satellite is in orbit. The Chinese, however, blew up their own satellite a couple of years back and that is now and orbiting mass of shotgun pellets.
- Pake, on 04/12/2008, -0/+3Was thinking that as well. Soon we'll have entire jobs devoted to space clean up.
- shannobn, on 04/12/2008, -0/+3Them astronauts really do have a drinking problem.
- macmangb, on 04/12/2008, -1/+4We all have to 'thank' China for blowing up their old satellites and leaving their crap up there rather than doing the responsible thing like burning it up in the atmosphere.
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Taiwan and Tibetan independence! - nonzzero, on 04/12/2008, -0/+3That's not a very good argument. What about the damage eliminating all animals would do to the ecosystem? I mean, what if all the animals in the world except Squirrels died. Would squirrels thrive?
- Morality, on 04/12/2008, -2/+5Digg users are tools.
- Ranneko, on 04/12/2008, -1/+4PLANETES was right!
- aguitarhero, on 04/12/2008, -0/+2The podcast Astronomy Cast recently had an episode on space junk, if it should be of interest to anyone.
http://www.astronomycast.com/astronomy/planets/our ... - tomee, on 04/12/2008, -0/+2The chance of getting hit by junk are still probably not much greater, if greater at all, than the chance of getting hit by rocks flying around in space anyway. Anything large that we send to space that needs to survive for a very long time should therefore be protected somehow.
- rac1234, on 04/13/2008, -0/+2The images make the various bits of junk look larger relative to the Earth than they really are. So there's a lot of stuff up there but there's also a bit more room than the pictures suggest.
- SexyInsurance, on 04/12/2008, -2/+4We can't just 'stop sending things up there. What we need to do is find a way to clean it up. Maybe we need to send a big magnet sweeper up there to collect all the junk and put it in an orbiting dumpster or something like that. These pictures are alarming though.
- frankzeg, on 04/12/2008, -0/+2This is why an increasing number of near term launches on Atlas and Delta are required to either do a deliberate burn up of the upper stage in the atmosphere or burn the stage after spacecraft separation to earth escape velocity. That requires substantially more propellant be carried but it is the only reasonable thing to do. Unfortunately many non-US launchers do not do this and are expanding the problem.
- vertinox, on 04/12/2008, -0/+2Who told you that? John Titor?
- Exploit, on 04/13/2008, -0/+2Duh! I thought the picture was real. This is computer generated.
- marksmayo, on 04/12/2008, -2/+4We could get really crazy, and magetise that Apophis meteor when it comes close to earth in 2029. it could then attract a ton of the space junk, and take it away.
Of course that would require the use of Bruce Willis, who would be like 80 by then, and allow the meteor to get way too close... ;) - inactive, on 04/12/2008, -2/+4Why do we leave trash behind us wherever we go? We move into the oceans and sail the world... and leave behind trash. We travel into space... and leave behind waste. Why do we not seem to care about that? We just seem to litter and pay no attention. Didn't someone once do a study that showed if all the animals on this planet were to cease to exist (excluding humans), that we would die out as a race within 50 years.... but if all the humans were to cease to exist, the animals would thrive? I know it's part of a "checks and balances" thing, but still. We ought to care more.
- inactive, on 04/12/2008, -0/+2You are an idiot.
- Fractl, on 04/12/2008, -1/+3I'm quite disappointed at this misleading visual. The scale is grossly exaggerated. I understand that they would be invisible otherwise...but perhaps colored points would be less deceiving. The star field they use as a background also makes matters look worse. Considering, as JYounges1 pointed out, the radius of the earth, and the fact that they are all at various altitudes it isn't nearly as cluttered as it appears.
If every Giant Panda in the world at that scale, we wouldn't be able to throw a rock without hitting an endangered species.
I agree with the point they try to make. Space debris should be more tightly regulated. We've learned lessons about pollution enough times to recognize the potential for disaster, here. But the point can be made without having to resort to this sort of manipulation. - crapmatic, on 04/12/2008, -1/+2I'm really kind of surprised the Space Shuttle and Space Station crew aren't sweating bullets up there. I can't imagine being up there and trying to sleep. It would go something like: sleepy.... sleepy..... (remembers the map on Digg).... rinse and repeat every 15 minutes.
- cnldelta, on 04/12/2008, -1/+2I don't think burning things up in the atmosphere helps with the Ozone layer. Flinging it out of the solar system would be best.
- DustyinBFE, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1Based on this photo, and satellites photos of what earth looks like at night, among other things ... how could people not think we're virus like?
- optimusprime, on 04/12/2008, -0/+1Oh no, it looks like WALL-E's world isn't too far off! I laughed when he shot off through the orbiting belt of trash in the trailer, thinking it was absurd, but I'm not thinking it's so crazy anymore.
- DigitAl56K, on 04/12/2008, -0/+1Why don't we launch a shuttle whose only mission is to fly a trajectory that will bring it close enough to the maximum number of debris objects and use a computer-aimed weapon to shoot them with something that imparts enough energy to eventually bring them into the atmosphere?
If we don't have such artillery, tag them with small propellant devices that can detect when the propeller is facing away from the earth and do controlled burns to bring the objects back towards the atmosphere.
Later, use the same technology to take down your enemies satellites. (You know it'll happen eventually) - em22, on 04/13/2008, -0/+1seriously, those satallites are not to scale, these images make each piece of debris look the size of the uk!
more scare mongering!! - SmokedL, on 04/12/2008, -0/+1Ahem, escape velocity:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_velocity - Verdanic, on 04/12/2008, -0/+1I think the concentration of objects in Earth's orbit is much higher than the concentration of space rock and such, but I'm not a scientist. realize the field of orbit is absolutely incomprehensibly massive, but I do think that may be becoming an issue - one stray ejected booster would be enough to wreak havoc to the IIS, no (I think those things remain in orbit?)? I wonder what the precautions are.
- petomni, on 04/12/2008, -1/+2So in other words, we're retarded for blowing up that satellite a few months back?
- Cornrider, on 04/12/2008, -0/+1Those damned bittorrents floating out there! Stop trashing outer space, you stupid illegal downloaders! Signs: The ***** R.I.A.A.
- pinchduck, on 04/12/2008, -1/+2So the Soviet Union and Communist China were pristine? Nope, they were far dirtier than any capitalist country with a democratic government. The reason we left debris in space is because it is too expensive to recover. And most of those satellites weren't launched by corporations (though many were sponsored by them), most were placed in orbits by governments. The space debris is a problem, and we'll have to come up with a solution, but blaming capitalism is idiotic in this instance.
- Hewbie, on 04/12/2008, -0/+1its all part of earths defense system :P any invading aliens/ or comets come crashing to earth will be zapped by the space junk first hopefully destroyed before causing any real damage to us. :O
but on serious note need better solutions of recycling the space crap instead leaving it in orbit, their already has been one death because space-junk hitting Astronaut during spacewalk :( - shodanx, on 04/12/2008, -0/+0"tag them with small propellant devices that can detect when [...] "
that is the stupidest idea I have EVER heard - nirav72, on 04/12/2008, -1/+1So where's the real debris? The pics just show a simulated orbit pattern. I want to see coke cans and candy wrappers floating by..even an occasional socket wrench and a few bolts thrown in.
- creamyiraq, on 04/12/2008, -0/+0Funny, all the debris looks like the bee-ships from Galaga.
- inactive, on 04/12/2008, -2/+2CLEAN UP! Aisle sky.
- JYoungest1, on 04/13/2008, -0/+0You want to get down to it, all life is a virus, things are a little more shallow than everyone wants to make them out to be, oh yea and we are as much part of mother nature as a panda, and a virus.
- inactive, on 04/13/2008, -0/+0China Protests after U.S. Shoots Down Satellite
February 21, 2008 ยท With the successful shootdown Wednesday night of a failing spy satellite that was headed for landfall, Pentagon officials say they believe they destroyed the potentially hazardous fuel tank. China is protesting the move, fearing a space-based arms race and debris.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ7g4tejb4Y - shodanx, on 04/12/2008, -0/+0and not very good ones at that
- shannobn, on 04/12/2008, -3/+2Yeah, it's called capitalism.
- atact88, on 04/12/2008, -1/+0the fact that the space shuttle and space station crew aren't sweating bullets says something about the accuracy of this claim, doesn't it?
- inactive, on 04/12/2008, -3/+0Do you think it would help if the terrorist United States Government stopped shooting down satellites?
United States Government are terrorists, war criminals, and horrific liars.
9-11 was an inside job! 9-11 was a lie! What happened to building 7?
Depleted uranium is a weapon of mass destruction!
Play Wall Street like a PONZI SCHEME! - zippy757, on 04/12/2008, -5/+1Ron Paul would fix this, personally.
- inactive, on 04/12/2008, -7/+3So what happens when there is too much junk?Will we have to stop sending things up there?
- applemacros, on 04/12/2008, -5/+0So is this like a simulated visual of all the objects? can be be seen for real?
- Slagtits, on 04/12/2008, -6/+1Oh come on guys, this is *****, just a cursory glance shows this is at best an accumulation of shots and at worst a VERY bad photoshop experiment gone wrong. There are at least 50 Apollo modules in that photo for a start. There are dozens of spacestations there, at best count there is only one. Thousands of satellites which all happen to look the same and pointing the same direction and all very well lit. If there were that many bits in orbit don't you think they would be crashing and falling to Earth daily? This is more propaganda, why? I don't know.
- scabbers, on 04/12/2008, -7/+2Interestingly enough, that junk is the only stuff that won't become strangelets after the LHC disaster.
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