Final answer:
Space debris left from satellites poses a hazard to working spacecraft, and the number of objects in space continues to increase. NASA has experienced instances where spacecraft have been damaged by debris, and near-misses happen daily. NASA is concerned that the situation will worsen in the future.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject of this question is Physics.
Step-by-step explanation:
- According to NASA, there are more than 500 working satellites and 2,000 defunct satellites orbiting Earth.
- There are also 1,400 used satellites and 1,100 smaller objects in space.
- Since the beginning of space exploration in 1957, more than 137 satellites have exploded or broken apart while in orbit around the Earth.
- Over time, even working spacecraft lose parts and screws.
- The speed of these objects is several thousand kilometers per second.
- At such high speeds, even tiny objects can cause huge problems.
- NASA engineers believe that an electronic hit caused a dent on the door of the Columbia space shuttle.
- So much debris has bounced off shuttles that NASA has had to replace 63 shuttle windows since 1981.
- Several thousand near-misses involving debris and satellites happen every day.
- NASA is concerned that the situation will only worsen.