Reminds me of the anime Planetes, about a group of space garbage collectors. In the opening scene, you're shown an innocuous looking screw floating in orbit for something like 10 seconds, and then suddenly a traveling ship appears from the distance, and the screw goes straight through like a bullet, causing all the passengers to die. I don't know how realistic that was, but it really set the tone for the importance of the characters' job in keeping the orbits clean.
Comments here seem to agree there is too much junk in space, it's out of control, and a problem.<p>It's nothing compared to the amount of junk on the ground and in the oceans. Let's also work on lowering that, I propose starting with each of us -- including you -- refusing disposable stuff and acquiring less stuff in general.
Great visualization!<p>I must say, I love the "Find all objects from this launch..." option. You can learn so much.<p>For instance, I've clicked on some random satellite in the GEO band, and viewed all objects from its launch:<p><a href="https://i.imgur.com/tknQtDk.png" rel="nofollow">https://i.imgur.com/tknQtDk.png</a><p>The closest object to Earth is a tank, which suggests a high-inclination launch. I guess Baikonur?<p>Next, you see a band of debris on less-inclined orbits. Those are close together, suggesting maybe fairings, or remnants of explosive stage separation? Stuff in space will drift apart like that, if you give it a slight push.<p>And lastly, in GEO band, is the satellite itself.
This is an unbelievably well done visualization. Really helps one understand the degree of problematic space junk, though I don't have much of an intuition for collision probabilities.
Similar view from a commercial tool:<p><a href="http://apps.agi.com/SatelliteViewer/?Status=Operational" rel="nofollow">http://apps.agi.com/SatelliteViewer/?Status=Operational</a><p>product page:<p><a href="https://www.agi.com/comspoc" rel="nofollow">https://www.agi.com/comspoc</a>
LeoLabs offers data and services around low earth orbit objects, and has an api for data:<p>Visualization:
<a href="https://platform.leolabs.space/visualization" rel="nofollow">https://platform.leolabs.space/visualization</a><p>LEO Catalog Pages:
<a href="https://platform.leolabs.space/catalog/L335" rel="nofollow">https://platform.leolabs.space/catalog/L335</a>
Go to the search box and type in "westford needles".
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_West_Ford" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_West_Ford</a>
China's test of an anti-satellite device left quite a mess:<p><a href="http://stuffin.space/?search=1999-025" rel="nofollow">http://stuffin.space/?search=1999-025</a><p><a href="https://www.space.com/3415-china-anti-satellite-test-worrisome-debris-cloud-circles-earth.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.space.com/3415-china-anti-satellite-test-worriso...</a>
Is it not reasonable to put a laser on a satellite with targeting systems to shoot some of this stuff? It seems like that would be ideal, no ammo needed, no super big nets or propellant (or less anyways).<p>If you target a bigger piece on one side it could cause a reaction to push it towards earth. If it's a small piece, it may disintegrate it. If it's spinning, it may alter it's orbit to eventually fall, etc...<p>Is this an unreasonable concept? I know this stuff is hard to find, but here we have a data showing we know where some of it is, and add some radar/lidar/whatever-dar to the satelite and get it a shootin. And no, I don't think a spacebased laser for shooting junk could harm anything planetside.
I could not translate the data for the real objects so I mocked up one of these for my physics project here:<p><a href="https://strainer.github.io/fancy#1" rel="nofollow">https://strainer.github.io/fancy#1</a><p>The satellites are in orbit, their speeds should be quite accurate, the rate of time can be adjusted and keys are displayed on screen for zooming.
Is there a convention about in what direction you should put satellites ? I know the space is crazy big and it's unlikely you will front-collide with a satellite going the opposite direction. But it would also be crazy to collide with another object at 7,000 m/s
Brilliant!!! Absolutely brilliant!!! So much detail and functionality. Recognition to James Yoder for this amazing product!! But also consider what this represents: From 1957 to now... how much our world has changed.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molniya_orbit" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molniya_orbit</a><p>Search for molniya.