Space debris problem highlighted in new series of photographs

New clouds over the United States The modern world relies on satellites for communication and commerce. Almost invisible to those of us who go about our daily lives, what is the modern way of life as a whole? socially and professionally? It is closely tied to the orbital space of the Earth. How we treat this extraterrestrial environment will determine how reliable we will be in the future. This view of Greenwich, London gives an example of what is in space. We photographed about 300 man-made objects, from satellites to rocket bodies, satellite parts, solar panels, screws and gloves, to show what was there. Photo shoots took place over a period of one year in North America, Europe and the UK. Did you want to show this from a human perspective? Looking up from the ground. I chose Greenwich to highlight its astronomical history and its connection to the modern world with its view of London's financial district and satellites orbiting the earth.Max Alexander

View of Greenwich, London, including a montage of examples of space debris

Max Alexander

These images are more than just a collection of whimsical space memorabilia.Part of Our Fragile Universe: Protecting the Near-Space Environmentin an exhibition by photographer Max Alexander, they highlight a growing problem: the increasing amount of debris orbiting Earth in the same space region as thousands of satellites, increasing the risk of collisions.

DELTA STAGE 2 FUEL TANK Launched in April 1996, this fuel tank re-entered Earth's atmosphere and landed near a Texas farmhouse in January 1997. The tank has 15 small craters, created by the impact of micrometeorites and space debris. Some impacts penetrated the walls of the tank.

Delta rocket second stage fuel tank

Max Alexander

Alexander worked with astronomer author Stuart Clark, the University of Warwick in the UK, and their Center for Space Domain Awareness, among others, to draw attention to the effects of some 160 million pieces of space debris orbiting Earth. made the origin.

Chilbolton Control Room, Hampshire, UK Station Managers Darcy Rudd and Emal Rumi overlook the main dish at the Chilbolton Observatory. The Chilbolton Observatory is the UK's primary civilian satellite and debris tracking facility. In addition to monitoring the space environment, the observatory conducts a wide range of scientific endeavors, including astronomy, atmospheric science, and radio communications.

Chilbolton Observatory control room,

Max Alexander

The image shows the second stage fuel tank of a Delta rocket that returned to Earth in 1997. A crater created by the collision of space debris and micrometeorites. The control room of the Chilbolton Observatory, the UK’s primary facility for tracking civilian satellites and space debris.

Space debris from an Ariane 4 rocket Cerise is a French military reconnaissance satellite, launched in 1995 on an Ariane 4 rocket.  A year later, I was attacked by pieces of space debris. The impact severed the boom arm that helped stabilize the spacecraft. This accident was the first confirmed collision between a working satellite and space debris. This piece of Ariane 4 is from the collection of the French National Air and Space Museum.

Pictured above is part of the Ariane 4 rocket that launched the satellite in 1995, and was involved in the first confirmed satellite-debris collision later. As part of a study of impact effects at orbital velocity, an aluminum plate was punctured by a fast-moving plastic projectile (pictured below).

PLASTIC INTO METAL This aluminum plate is perforated by plastic projectiles. Aluminum is stronger than plastic, but damage occurs due to the energy carried by high-velocity projectiles. The kinetic energy of a small object is largely determined by its speed, and if the speed is kilometers per second, its energy is enormous. It is released on impact and corresponds to a small explosion. This work is part of Donald Kessler's personal collection.

An example montage of space debris superimposed on the sky with a view of Greenwich, London (main photo). Pictured below is an astronaut’s glove that fell during a spacewalk on the 1965 Gemini IV mission.

Space Gloves Not all space debris consists of broken rockets or dead satellites. Occasionally, astronauts drop objects overboard. Spacesuit gloves similar to this one were lost during the spacewalk of the 1965 Gemini IV mission. It had been left in the airlock, so the gloves floated up when Ed White, fully dressed in a suit, opened the exterior door and tried to get out. likewise. Estimates suggest that he spent a month orbiting Earth before re-entering and burning up.

our fragile space It will take place from May 6th to 21st at Coventry Cathedral, England. From May 31st to June 9th at the Vienna International Center in Austria. It was then held at Jodrell Bank in the UK from June 12th to mid-September.

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