Houston, We Have a Trash Problem

Think about your day so far. Did you check the weather on your phone? Use Google Maps to get to school? Binge-watch that new show last night? If you did any of those things, you used a satellite.

We rely on this invisible network of technology orbiting our planet for basically everything. Satellites are the unsung heroes of our modern world. But here’s the kicker: what happens when they break?

Space Junk

A Traffic Jam in Orbit

I just watched this incredible TED Talk by Natalie Panek, a rocket scientist (and total inspiration!), and she used an analogy that blew my mind.

Imagine you’re driving down the highway, music blasting, windows down. Life is good. Then, your car just… dies. Right in the middle of a lane. You can’t fix it, so you have to just leave it there. Now, imagine thousands of cars abandoned all over every highway in the world. Total chaos, right? It would be a huge hazard, and if two of them collided, they’d spray thousands of smaller, super-dangerous pieces of metal everywhere.

That, she explained, is exactly what’s happening in space right now.

When a satellite runs out of fuel or a part malfunctions, it becomes a useless hunk of metal hurtling around the Earth at thousands of miles per hour. It becomes space junk.

Just How Bad Is It?

Since the first satellite, Sputnik, was launched in 1957, we’ve sent up around 7,000 more. Guess how many are still working?

Only about one in seven.

The rest are just cosmic clutter. And that’s not even counting the other junk up there:

• Hundreds of thousands of marble-sized pieces of debris.

• Millions of tiny fragments the size of a paint chip.

Even a tiny paint chip is a major threat. At orbital speeds (over 17,000 mph!), it can hit a functioning satellite or even the International Space Station with the force of a bowling ball. Yikes.

There are a few main "zones" where all this junk hangs out:

• Low Earth Orbit (LEO): This is where a lot of imaging satellites are. Junk here will eventually fall and burn up in our atmosphere, but that can take decades.

• Geostationary Orbit (GEO): This is way higher up (~35,000 km). Satellites for your TV and communications are here. Anything that dies up here could stay in orbit for centuries.

• The "Graveyard Orbit": This is a real, and super creepy, thing. It’s an orbit even farther out where some dead satellites are intentionally sent to get them "out of the way."

  
  

So, Why Don't We Just Clean It Up?

This is the insane part: there are no international laws forcing anyone to clean up their mess. There are some guidelines, like a recommendation to have satellites deorbit within 25 years. But first, 25 years is a ridiculously long time to leave your broken-down satellite in the fast lane. And second, they’re just suggestions, not rules.

As Natalie Panek put it, "Space junk is no one's responsibility."

Our Generation's Challenge: Becoming Space Janitors

Okay, so the problem is huge. But the solutions? They are so cool and sound like something out of a sci-fi movie. This is where we—the next generation of scientists, engineers, and dreamers—come in.

Panek talked about some amazing ideas being developed:

• Drag Sails: A small satellite launched in 2014 has a sail that will deploy at the end of its life to help it drag against the atmosphere and deorbit faster.

• Cosmic Lassos and Nets: Literally designing spacecraft that can go up and capture junk with nets or tethers.

• Orbital Tow Trucks: This is my favorite. Imagine a robotic "space mechanic" that could fly up to a broken satellite, repair it, or even refuel it, just like we refuel our cars. This could extend the lives of hundreds of satellites and prevent them from becoming junk in the first place!

• Deposit System: What if countries or companies had to pay a "launch deposit," and they'd only get the money back if they safely deorbited their satellite? Like a bottle return, but for rockets!

The point is, we can’t keep using space like it's an infinite garbage dump. It's not just about exploring; it's about exploring sustainably.

The next time you use your phone for directions, take a second to think about the incredible satellite that makes it possible. And then think about the trash surrounding it. It’s our job to start this conversation and push for these new, brilliant solutions.

Earth’s orbit is beautiful, and it's our only gateway to the stars. It’s up to us to keep it that way.

Inspired by the amazing TED Talk by Natalie Panek, "Let's clean up the space junk orbiting Earth." You HAVE to watch it here!