Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Space junk survey

27 April 2002

NASA has cut the cash for spotting space junk orbiting the Earth. More than 100,000 pieces of debris smaller than 10 centimetres in diameter are in orbit, each carrying enough energy to destroy or seriously damage a satellite. The 10,000 largest pieces are tracked by the US Space Command, but the money for the programme has run out. This year’s budget has been cut by half, and there is no money at all for next year. The cash used to come from NASA’s budget for the space shuttle and International Space Station. Now the agency is looking for new sources…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with Âé¶¹´«Ã½ events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, today with our introductory offers

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop