Space Vacuums?

It’s hard to know whether to be more concerned about the debris spewed into orbit by the collision of two satellites last week or by the fact that no one was able to predict the collision before it happened. Neither bodes well for the long-term safety of space operations.

An American communications satellite owned by the Iridium network and a no-longer-functioning Russian communications satellite slammed into each other 490 miles above northern Siberia in what appears to be the first collision between two intact satellites.

Hundreds of fragments were strewn into space, where they will pose at least a small additional hazard to other satellites or spacecraft that move through the area. The international space station, orbiting 215 miles up with three astronauts aboard, will face an elevated but still very small risk of being struck by space debris.

Those who thought that our nation’s space tracking systems could see such things coming will be surprised to learn that there are gaps in coverage and capabilities. The military does indeed track some 19,000 objects in space, including active and nonfunctioning satellites, hordes of debris fragments, and thousands of unknown objects that might threaten the safety of American satellites. It publishes their coordinates and velocity in a catalog on a Web site that anyone can view free of charge.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/opinion/16mon1.html?th&emc=th