Question

The international space station travels at a distance of about 250 miles above Earth's surface and at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour. Even though space dust and debris can be tiny (1 centimeter or less in size) with a mass of 10 grams or less, there is always fear that the space station will sustain damage from a collision with a small piece of space debris. Why should scientists be concerned about a collision with such a tiny object? Use evidence and scientific reasoning to support your explanation. ​

Answer 1

Scientists should be concerned about a collision with a small piece of space debris because of velocity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The smaller debris are very light making them travel very fast. The ISS traveling more than 10x faster than a bullet shot on earth, would sustain major damage if it impacts debris as small as a Ping-Pong ball.