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Plasma Tunnels Reveal How Dying Satellites Really Fall to Earth (spectrum.ieee.org)

submitted 3 days ago by cm0002@mander.xyz to c/science@mander.xyz

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[–] fubarx@lemmy.world 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Three or more large satellites or used rocket stages burn up in Earth’s atmosphere every day, according to the European Space Agency’s Space Environment Report published last year. Every year, hundreds of tons of human-made objects reenter the atmosphere and evaporate, leaving behind clouds of microscopic ash along with some fragments that happen to fall all the way to the ground.

...

Meanwhile, the amount of space rocks today entering the atmosphere, to be clear, outstrips the amount of reentering space junk. An estimated 44 tonnes of space rock enters the atmosphere per day, most of which burns up.

[–] Peppycito@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Space rocks aren't made of plastic and stuff. The whole business model of space tech is as if Samsung started a recycling program where they just take everything they ever made out back and burn it.

[–] sparkyshocks@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You should read the article. The concern is metal oxides, specifically aluminum and titanium.

[–] Peppycito@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago

You're right, I should have. It's a good article.