Space Junk: A Graphic Guide To Our Garbage Up There

SPACE WHERE U NK IS IT? HOW BIG IS IT? 100M pieces< 1cm (smaller than a BB bullet) 500K pieces 1 CM > 10 CM 21K pieces > 10 cm (larger than a softball) HOW MUCH IS THERE? ~14M LBS (1,000ACAN) MASS: AFRICAN` ELEPHANTS WHERE DOES IT COME FROM? WHAT'S UP THERE? Two incidents A selection of interesting space junk: generated a third of all catalogued orbital debris: a satellite collision A SPATULA (the Iridium-Russian satellite collision) From space shuttle IRIDIUM Columbia and one intentional explosion (Fengyun-1C). $100,00O TOOL BAG FENGYUN-1C Mislaid by astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper WHAT DOES IT DO? GENE RODDENBERRYS ASHES Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's ashes, released into space in 1992 Travels at speeds of up to -17,900 mph in low Earth orbit. Depending on the altitude of orbit, may stay in space for anywhere from a few years to more than a century. ED WHITE'S GLOVE Dropped during the WHERE DOES IT GO? first American spacewalk in 1965 FROZEN URINE COLLIDES WITH A REENTERS Until the late 2000s, most EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE astronaut pee was dumped out into space SATELLITE Every year, about 200-400 of the larger objects we can track reenter the atmosphere and fall towards Earth. Fewer than 100 of these Average impact 22,369 MPH SPEED VANGUARD I Now-derelict U.S. satellite launched in 1958; the oldest piece of space junk of debris with Speed of a bullet fired from an M16 rifle x10 any space object are big enough to survive and reach the ground. still in orbit Probability that a satellite orbiting at 497-559 miles will be hit by debris larger than 1 cm: Your odds of being hit by a piece of space junk are less than T 1 in 1 trillion. ~3 percent over 5-10 years You're 100 Million times more likely to be struck by lightning in your lifetime. World Science Festival worldsciencefestival.com GREATĒST CONĊENTRATION: 466-497 MILES . • · • • •• • *••• : :•• ••. • • • . MOST DEBRIS WITHIN 1.200 MILES OF