ON APRIL 15TH, the United States Space Agency (NASA) confirmed that a cylindrical object that fell in Naples (Florida, in the United States) on Alejandro Otero’s home, is space debris from the International Space Station (ISS). The space debris dropped on Earth on March 8th, crashing through the roof and the second floor of Alejandro’s house.

The object weighs 0.7 kilograms (kg), and measures 10 centimeters (cm) in height by 4 cm in width. It is a part from an old battery-charging structure discarded by the ISS in 2021. According to the statement released by NASA, the object was expected to enter Earth’s atmosphere in early March, burn, and dismantle before reaching the ground, but the agency was aware of the possibility that some part might resist this. The cylinder that hit the house was examined at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral (Florida).

What is space junk?

Space junk is defined as any object discarded by humans in space that is no longer useful. That is, when the useful life of satellites and other space equipment comes to an end and they need to be shut down. When this happens, there is the option of sending the object away from Earth or having it come back down and burn as it enters the atmosphere (this happens due to air friction and contact with oxygen or other gases). According to the 1977 Space Treaty, which established the laws regarding space exploration, each country is responsible for its own debris, and, thus, must respond to any physical or material damage caused by the fall of materials on our planet – which happens very rarely. In Earth’s orbit alone, there are over 36,500 pieces of space junk larger than 10 centimeters. If we consider objects that are less than 10 centimeters, this figure increases to over one million. The trend is for space pollution to continue to increase over the years. According to the World Economic Forum, approximately 70,000 new satellites will be launched by 2032.

SOURCES: THE GUARDIAN, BBC, CNN, UOL, EXAME AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.

Ixi! Você bateu no paywall!

Ainda não é assinante? Assine agora e tenha acesso ilimitado ao conteúdo do Joca.

Assinante? Faça Login

Voltar para a home

Ou faça sua assinatura e tenha acesso a todo o conteúdo do Joca

Assine