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I always just assume these things are pieces of space junk that lost orbit. Is that even viable? Or is the junk all small enough to completely burn up on re-ent
by Andrenid 13y ago
I always just assume these things are pieces of space junk that lost orbit. Is that even viable? Or is the junk all small enough to completely burn up on re-entry?
- davidcuddeback 13y agoSpace junk mostly burns up on reentry.
- brazzy 13y agoAlmost all of it is small enough. And orbiting junk is monitored really closely (so we can time rocket launches to avoid it), so when anything large enough to reach the ground comes down (most prominently Mir: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deorbit_of_Mir http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deorbit_of_Mir), people know in advance. Hey, there's even a schedule: http://www.aerospace.org/cords/reentry-predictions/upcoming-reentries/ http://www.aerospace.org/cords/reentry-predictions/upcoming-...