Imagine waking up in your bedroom to see a smoldering piece of equipment outside your window, still burning and sizzling after shooting at Earth from space. While this is an incredibly unlikely possibility, space debris does occur. Any of the scientific instruments we launch into the stratosphere return to Earth, causing a commotion and causing chaos.
This is much more possible if you live near a launch site, such as Cape Canaveral, Florida. Still, NASA recently issued a warning of 6,000 tons of low-orbit space debris clogging up ever-larger areas miles above the Earth. So, what do you do if you find yourself in the almost unlikely case of grappling with space debris that falls where you live or, even worse, ruins your home?
Is it possible for a defunct satellite to become a cosmological relic? Are there any procedural safeguards in place? If space debris ever comes crashing down on your doorstep, here's how you could cope with it.
Is Space Debris a Threat?
The simple answer? No. There are at least two major explanations for the record why the mere mention of space debris does not cause alarm. For the same cause, fireballs are unlikely to wipe out all life on Earth at this moment.
The atmosphere is the first factor. Scientists retrieved many large fireballs when entering the atmosphere. In reality, even a small fragment of space rock will have to be larger than 25 meters in diameter to survive the descent. This heat is produced by the planet's gravity combined with the friction of plummeting through large volumes of atmospheric gases.
The ocean is the second factor. Or, to be more precise, the fact that only about 70% of the Earth's atmosphere is now covered with water. Even if anything does make it into the atmosphere, it is more likely to crash into the sea than into someone's backyard.
When you add it all up, BBC's Science Focus said the odds of being struck by space debris are around a trillion to one.
Despite this, many analysts believe this situation could become a challenge in the future. Science Times previously said that countries like China are taking significant steps forward with their space programs. Meanwhile, another Science Times report said SpaceX and other firms develop affordable ways to get around the current space stations.
As a result of these and other recent trends, there could be an increase in space debris hovering around Earth's orbit. Hence, the chances of the space junk being pulled back down to Earth could potentially improve (especially if accidents become more frequent).
Who Is Responsible For Space Debris?
While it might seem that any errant technology orbiting the Earth has been forgotten about, there is some responsibility for harm caused by space debris. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty and the 1972 Liability Convention, both recognized by the United Nations, said governments should bear financial responsibility for space junk destruction, even though the device in question was launched by a private corporation.
It seems to be a simple problem, but it becomes more complicated when put into effect. For example, if a piece of a NASA satellite slammed into your house, NASA will cover the costs. When several governments are involved, though, it becomes a bit of a bureaucratic mess, as Timiebi Aganaba, professor of Space and Society at Arizona State University, recently said.
"Basically, if a piece of space junk from China landed on your house, your own country's government would make a claim for compensation through diplomatic channels and then pay you - if they chose to make the claim at all," Aganaba wrote in The Conversation.
What To Do If a Space Debris Lands on Backyard
The obvious solution for the general public who cannot ever contend with this problem is to approach NASA, which has always been more than willing to foot the bill for any harm sustained by their spacecraft.
NASA public relations officer Beth Dickey told Live Science in 2011 that the United States is "completely liable to pay responsibility for harm incurred by its space entity on the surface of the Earth or to aircraft in flight" under the 1972 Convention on Liability.
That path is simple enough if you have irrefutable proof of wayward space debris damaging your property. However, how officials want to deal with the existing space debris bottleneck remains unclear.
The University of Colorado - Boulder said an "orbital usage fee" of $235,000 per satellite could de-incentivize operators from adding to the low-orbit logjam. While such a concept sounds more appealing than the latest technology that captures space debris, it's unclear if it will work. Science Times previously explained that no government can lay claim to ownership of space.
Meanwhile, as space debris begins to accumulate, it's a smart idea to be prepared to deal with it in the unfortunate event that it arrives on your doorstep.
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