If America's
successful shootdown of a spy satellite spawns an anti-satellite (ASAT) arms
race, then the aerospace industry must take heed. Currently, the U.S. Space Surveillance Network (SSN) monitors more than 17,000 pieces of cataloged space debris. In outer space, a small paint chip can accelerate to speeds which can
crack windows on the International Space Station (ISS). Fortunately, the SSN constantly
tracks the location of each piece of space debris in order to move assets such
as the ISS, space shuttles, and communications satellites out of harm's way.
As mentioned in Part 1 of this series, space debris remains
in orbit until it is "sucked" into Earth's gravitational field. Some objects
burn up on re-entry, but others do not. If nations begin exploding old
satellites in space, the amount of "space junk" will increase dramatically. In
short, the pursuit of ASAT weapons could make it even more difficult for
mission launches to make it through the debris.
During a press conference last Thursday morning, Marine General
James Cartwright stated that the debris falling from Wednesday's satellite
shoot down did not pose a hazard. Although much of what has re-entered Earth's atmosphere
is too small to cause damage, technical analysis is underway to determine where
and approximately when all of the debris will fall. So far, all of the debris from
the spy satellite has been smaller then a football.
America's
satellite shootdown has been called everything from the successful containment
of a global health hazard to the first volley in a possible ASAT arms race. The
United States
claims that it acted on behalf of the heath and welfare of the entire world, but
other countries disagree. America's
ASAT exercise may not have created large space debris, but the international
and political fallout may not be known for years to come. Has the United States
established a dangerous precedent? Or will other countries believe that the
world's last superpower stopped a potential health risk in an exercise that was
for more than just show?
CR4 Aerospace Blog
| 
Re: Let’s Shoot Down a Satellite: An In-Depth Review (Part 4)
