Kessler Syndrome: What happens when satellites collide?

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Of all the man-made satellites in Low Earth Orbit, 95% are space junk – rocket thrusters, derelict satellites, and most of all, fragments of debris from collisions and explosions. All this debris poses a potential threat to the future of space travel if we don’t find a way to clean it up before it’s too late.

Kessler Syndrome, the threat of cascading orbital debris fallout, an environmental crisis that’s almost completely invisible to us, but which may carry dire consequences for our infrastructure and the future of spaceflight if left unchecked.

Topics:

Chemical Sciences – Chemical Reactions

Physical Sciences – Forces, Energy

Additional: Careers, Maths, Technology, Engineering.

Concepts (South Australia):

Biological Sciences – Change of Matter

Physical Sciences – Forces and Motion, Energy

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