Rain of space junk is more usual than you think – El Nuevo Diario

More than 600,000 objects of less than ten centimeters and larger 20,000 orbiting in space, are remnants of satellites and rockets threatening space missions and weekly fall on Earth, but in 99, 9% of cases disintegrate when entering the atmosphere.

Indeed, the strange thing is what has happened in recent days in Alicante and Murcia (southeast Spain), where this week remains were found space junk from a satellite or rocket.

The last one appeared a few days ago in a farm field in Elda (Alicante). It was a metal part of four meters partially calcined length.

The object studied by experts in air navigation had metal edges damaged by impact with the ground and was found near Mula and Calasparra in Murcia, which in the last ten days have also been found more remains of space junk.

But to what extent this is normal rain scrap? and, above all, is it dangerous?.

Speaking to EFE, the CEO of Elecnor Deimos, Miguel Belló, explained that there are about 17,000 objects larger than ten centimeters orbiting the Earth.

What goes up …

Sooner or later, they all pass through the Earth’s atmosphere because “what you put in low orbit is slowed by the atmosphere up falling. In fact, every week but almost all objects fall disintegrate, except those made with refractory major nuclear material or links “

The monitoring is done of all these objects is intense.” we know roughly where they are going to fall, and when they are going to do, but never alert anyone because in 99.9% of cases disintegrate. In fact, what happened in Murcia is rare. Typically, the pieces of trash disintegrate on contact with the atmosphere, “explains the head of the company.

Elecnor Deimos Space is part of Survillance Tracking (SST), a program designed to locate and monitor the path of space debris and alert satellite operators and the public administrations of the risks of a collision, as well as so-called ‘re-entries uncontrolled’.

Systems like this enable ever recorded any accidents or wounded since there satellites in orbit.

In fact, “there are more chances of getting struck by lightning to undergo a crash caused by space debris,” said Belló .

Those who, by contrast, are at risk other astronauts and mission because “25,000 kilometers per hour, a particle of paint can kill pierces the suit because” although the greatest danger run . Satellite

“We have two operating: the I and Deimos Deimos II, have from time to time to maneuver to avoid colliding with space debris” and space missions have been lost because of this “

However, Belló insisted, “the risk of collision with Earth is very low. Only two precedents in history that could create problems, the fall in 1970 of part of a Cosmos rocket, loaded with nuclear energy, and one in the Andes, although in both cases fell in unpopulated areas, “he said.

In fact, “we have in our favor that three quarters of the Earth is water and only one percent of the continent is full, which means that there is a good chance that nothing happens” Belló said.