"In the vacuum of space, the amount of debris-spent rocket stages, splintered satellites, micrometeoroids- numbers in the millions, all zooming about, often at 17,000 mph speeds. They're also constantly hitting each other in a tsuris of exponential littering. Most of these pieces are tiny, and many are not anywhere near the altitude of the ISS. But the area isn't completely clean."
"According to one NASA estimate, a 0.6-centimeter-wide hole leaves 14 hours to plug the leak. A 20-centimeter hole leaves less than a minute. There is a plan to prevent such a strike-the Space Surveillance Network, a bevy of sensors that the military uses to track space debris."
"When pieces of debris are predicted to enter the box-if there's at least a 1 in 100,000 chance of collision-mission controllers order avoidance maneuvers, firing thrusters that move the ISS and dodge the trash. The technique has been used dozens of times since the first ISS module launched in 1998. But the system only tracks about 45,000 larger pieces, and all sensors have noise."
The International Space Station orbits within a hazardous environment filled with millions of debris pieces traveling at approximately 17,000 mph, including spent rocket stages, satellite fragments, and micrometeoroids. While most debris exists at different altitudes, the ISS regularly sustains impacts causing visible dents and cracks. A breach could be catastrophic—a small 0.6-centimeter hole allows 14 hours for repairs, while a 20-centimeter hole leaves less than a minute. NASA's Space Surveillance Network tracks approximately 45,000 larger debris pieces and maintains a protected zone around the station, triggering avoidance maneuvers when collision probability reaches 1 in 100,000. Despite these defenses, the tracking system has limitations and misses smaller objects. The ISS includes protective measures like Whipple Shields designed to withstand impacts up to 1 cubic centimeter, though larger strikes remain dangerous.
Read at WIRED
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