{"id":5242,"date":"2022-12-12T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=5242"},"modified":"2022-12-01T15:19:18","modified_gmt":"2022-12-01T15:19:18","slug":"space-debris-is-coming-down-more-frequently-what-are-the-chances-it-could-hit-someone-or-damage-property","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/space-debris-is-coming-down-more-frequently-what-are-the-chances-it-could-hit-someone-or-damage-property\/","title":{"rendered":"Space debris is coming down more frequently. What are the chances it could hit someone or damage property?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n \n Brad Tucker<\/span>, Author provided<\/span><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\nFabian Zander<\/a>, University of Southern Queensland<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

In the past week alone, we\u2019ve seen two separate incidents of space debris hurtling back to Earth in unexpected places. <\/p>\n\n

On Saturday there was the uncontrolled re-entry of a Chinese Long March 5B rocket over Malaysia. Yesterday outlets reported on some spacecraft parts that turned up<\/a> in regional New South Wales \u2013 now confirmed<\/a> to be from a SpaceX Crew-1 mission.<\/p>\n\n

As the space industry grows, it\u2019s safe to say such incidents will only become more frequent \u2013 and they could pose a risk. But how much of a risk, exactly?<\/p>\n\n

\n \"A<\/a>\n
\n The Long March 5B Y3 carrier rocket was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in China\u2019s Hainan province on July 24. Some of its debris fell into the Indian Ocean on Saturday.<\/span>\n Li Gang\/AP<\/span><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

Chunks of metal hurtling towards us<\/h2>\n\n

Space debris refers to the leftover components of a space system that are no longer required. It might be a satellite that has reached the end of its life (such as the International Space Station), or parts of a rocket system that have fulfilled their purpose and are discarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To date, China has launched three Long March 5B rockets, and each has been deliberately left in an uncontrolled orbit. This means there was no way of knowing where they would land.<\/p>\n\n

As for the SpaceX debris found in the Snowy Mountains, SpaceX de-orbits its rocket parts in a controlled fashion, and designs other components to burn up upon re-entry into Earth\u2019s atmosphere. But as you can see from the latest news, these things don\u2019t always go to plan.<\/p>\n\n

So how dangerous is space debris, really?<\/p>\n\n

Well, as far as we know only one person has ever been hit by it. Lottie Williams, a resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was<\/a> struck<\/a> by a piece in 1997. It was about the size of her hand and thought to have come from a Delta II rocket. She picked it up, took it home and reported it to authorities the next day.<\/p>\n\n

However, with more and more objects going into space, and coming back down, the chances of someone or something being struck are increasing. This is especially true of large, uncontrolled objects such as the Long March 5B. <\/p>\n\n

Of the three times this model of rocket has been launched:<\/p>\n\n