Cataloging Space Junk...!

Boy, talk about an impossible (or close to it) undertaking, this has to be number one on the list.

I would imagine these folks can get some pretty massive headaches. I don't care what kind of equipment you have on hand, the responsibility is massive. There is a lot riding on this job being done right ya know?

The US Air Force Catalogues And Tracks Space Junkspace-debris

Photo credit: NASA

Since the early 1980s, the US Air Force has maintained a dedicated team that logs and tracks as much space debris as possible. Over 20,000 individual items at least the size of a small ball are being tracked as well as about 500,000 marble-sized pieces of debris—and that number looks likely to increase.

Each of these items is traveling around the Earth at around 28,000 kilometers per hour (17,500 mph). Should any of them strike another item—be it more space debris, a “live” satellite, or even the International Space Station—the consequences would be tragic. Even a single speck of paint (which is too small to track) hurtling around the planet can cause considerable damage to spacecraft or kill an astronaut during a space walk.

If you want to read some disturbing cats about this space junk problem, maybe you should check out therse scary facts right here!. This is not for those that are feint-hearted.

Coffee out on the patio this morning!