As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

orbit

SPACE: Garbage Problem in Orbit is Getting Worse

by
space garbage - NASA

Before humans first started sending objects into Earth orbit, the pocket of space around our planet was clear and clean. But the launch of Sputnik 1 in October of 1957 changed everything. Since then, the space debris has been accumulating, with the amount of useless, defunct satellites vastly outnumbering the operational objects in our orbit. A new annual report from the European Space Agency (ESA) has found that while we have become aware of the problem and taken steps in recent years to mitigate it, those steps are currently not keeping up with the sheer scale of space junk. All … Read more

SPACE: Wanna See the Earth From Orbit, But Don’t Have $20 Million?

by
One Strange Rock

Looking down at the vast curve of planet Earth hundreds of miles below, I can see its white cloud cover stretching over expanses of blue ocean. This may be the closest I’ll ever get to outer space, but I haven’t left Midtown Manhattan. I’m peering at our distant world using a special “space” helmet that re-creates the dizzying sensation of hovering far above the planet. Displayed across my visor — and on those of my fellow “astronauts” in the seats of a small theater — were excerpts from “One Strange Rock,” a new documentary series from the National Geographic Channel … Read more