University event offered by University of Reading
Short Session Delivered online
Space is an hugely valuable resource that is increasingly threatened by the accelerating growth of 'space junk'. Star Trek famously described space as the 'final frontier' but near-Earth space is no longer a frontier - rather it is a key part of modern civilization. Low Earth Orbits (LEO), Geostationary Orbits (GEO) and Mid-Earth Orbits (MEO) are all resources that are exploited extensively for the benefit of humankind. They are used for communications, navigation, astronomy, Earth observation, resource exploration, disaster management, broadcasting, novel materials production, zero-gravity experiments and many other applications. These near-Earth orbits are under increasing threat from satellite constellations of many spacecraft. This talk will discuss the science of the production of space junk and how it can be cleaned up. It also will discuss how the abuse of near-Earth space through inappropriate frontier mentality, which in its most extreme form could render human space travel too dangerous and, more likely, make unmanned space facilities prohibitively expensive.
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