Every year, we shoot several thousand satellites and other objects out into space.
Every year, we shoot several thousand satellites and other objects out into space. When satellites die, they become space trash that threatens aerospace safety.
Outer space has a trash problem.
“And the problem is only going to get bigger and bigger,” says Rannveig Færgestad.
Færgestad studies aerospace technology at NTNU’s Department of Structural Engineering. In her PhD, she has developed computer models that show what happens when pieces of space debris collide with spacecraft. With an average speed of 7 kilometres per second, even a tiny piece of junk can cause a lot of damage.
Read More: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Image: Astronaut Sergey Prokopyev works to assemble a shield that will protect the International Space Station. Photo Credit: NASA
