Space Junk PICTURES: Space Debris-Monitoring Satellite Set To Launch

SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- A satellite that will monitor the clutter in Earth orbit is scheduled to launch Saturday, nearly three months later than originally planned.

The Space-Based Space Surveillance satellite was scheduled to launch on July 8, but it was grounded by concerns about software in the Minotaur IV rocket and a problem in the rocket's electronics.

Officials said there were no problems in the satellite itself.

It's designed to give the Air Force its first full-time, space-based surveillance of satellites and debris in Earth's orbit. It monitors them for possible collisions.

Launch will be at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. A command center at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., will oversee day-to-day operations once in orbit.

As renderings of orbital debris show, the Space-Based Space Surveillance satellite has its work cut out for it. Take a look at incredible images that map the massive amounts of space debris orbiting the Earth in the photos below.

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NASA explains that the low Earth orbit region of space is "the most concentrated area for orbital debris." NASA says of this image (and the following two pictures):

The following graphics are computer generated images of objects in Earth orbit that are currently being tracked. Approximately 95% of the objects in this illustration are orbital debris, i.e., not functional satellites. The dots represent the current location of each item. The orbital debris dots are scaled according to the image size of the graphic to optimize their visibility and are not scaled to Earth. These images provide a good visualization of where the greatest orbital debris populations exist. Below are the graphics generated from different observation points.

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NASA explains that the low Earth orbit region of space is "the most concentrated area for orbital debris."

NASA says of this image (and the following two pictures):

The following graphics are computer generated images of objects in Earth orbit that are currently being tracked. Approximately 95% of the objects in this illustration are orbital debris, i.e., not functional satellites. The dots represent the current location of each item. The orbital debris dots are scaled according to the image size of the graphic to optimize their visibility and are not scaled to Earth. These images provide a good visualization of where the greatest orbital debris populations exist. Below are the graphics generated from different observation points.

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njgal4obama said on 23 Thursday 2010 pm30 4:11 pm: Ooooh! I think I saw one of my electronic credit card payments that never got there!

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Image credit: NASA

Comments

[YMBM]

10:30 PM on 10/05/2010

Check this out!

[JaxReader]

04:57 PM on 09/30/2010

Can't wait till we make it to that Goldilocks planet so we can trash it, too!

[rcpmac]

03:34 PM on 09/30/2010

The problem with this image is the dot size. Were this to scale each scrap o space debris would be the size of Rhode Island.

[archer24]

06:05 PM on 10/03/2010

"The orbital debris dots are scaled according to the image size of the graphic to optimize their visibility and are not scaled to Earth."

Read the article next time.

[ThomasPaineWeNeedYou]

12:27 AM on 09/28/2010

What would the Vulcan's think as they travel by and low space did not look like that in First Contact quite an oversight in screenplay eh?

[Emily O]

10:28 PM on 09/26/2010

Can anyone say Wall-E? :-P

[revko]

05:22 PM on 09/26/2010

An Inconvenient Toupee

[revko]

05:20 PM on 09/26/2010

Yikes. That picture is making my globe itch.

[heroine addict]

09:20 AM on 09/25/2010

We look like a chia pet

;(

[freddychef]

12:37 AM on 09/25/2010

eventually, we will have created our own Dyson sphere.

[jasonedward]

01:14 PM on 09/25/2010

With the exception that we won't have a star, or energy source, inside of it. :(

[Cali Saracen]

10:46 PM on 09/24/2010

Space pollution the final frontier

[Dr Juan]

10:09 PM on 09/24/2010

The first, Tony Shapiro, started tracking this junk back in about 65 and devised a program to determine a clear clear flight path for satellites and astronauts. The early work was done with a computer less powerful than a pentium I. Must have done a good job because none have been clobbered. Computers got better and junk detection got better and the ability to track smaller and smaller particles developed down to the size of coarse sand.

[dorzic]

08:00 PM on 09/24/2010

Earth looks more and more like the Death Star

[Tulka2]

02:03 PM on 09/24/2010

Are there electro-magnetic repercussions?  Does the Earth's magnetic field interact with all this metal?  

[Lahonda]

04:16 AM on 09/25/2010

The size of each object is over-emphasized. So no.

[Forester]

01:24 PM on 09/24/2010

Looks like Wall-E, opening scene.

[Chip W]

09:02 AM on 09/24/2010

I'm not worried. It will take a very long time to clutter up the universe.

[jasonedward]

01:16 PM on 09/25/2010

True, but by that time, we won't be able to leave earth to explore, because we'll be trapped by the debris shield around the planet.