space debris

Falling Rocket Parts Becoming More Likely to Cause Fatalities

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This Chinese-made Long March 5B Y2 rocket launched in April, 2021, but this type of rocket has been cited at least twice for parts left in orbit striking the Earth upon reentry.Photo: The Yomiuri Shimbun (PA) Sorry kids, but when you’re wishing on a falling star, those flashing streaks in the night sky might actually … Read more

China Tests Drag Sail For Removing Space Junk

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This kite-like space sail will help deorbit a rocket component within two years.Image: Shanghai Academy of Space Flight Technology Eengineers in China have successfully deployed an ultra-thin sail attached to a rocket part to expedite its departure from low Earth orbit and reduce the amount of space junk lovingly floating above our planet. The 269-square-foot … Read more

Test to Maneuver ISS with Cygnus Spacecraft Didn’t Go as Planned

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The Cygnus space freighter approaching the ISS on February 21, 2022. Photo: NASA NASA is currently evaluating the ability of docked Cygnus spacecraft to serve as boosters for the International Space Station, but a recent test of the concept was quickly stopped, for reasons that aren’t yet clear. The engine firing of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus … Read more

Space Telescope Hit by ‘Unavoidable Chance Event’

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(Newser) – The massive mirror on the James Webb Space Telescope has been hit by what NASA calls an “unavoidable chance event”—a strike from a piece of space debris larger than they expected. NASA says one of the mirror’s segments was hit by a micrometeoroid, which it defines as a piece of debris smaller than … Read more