Solar Flares (brief eruptions of high-energy radiation) and Coronal Mass Ejections (blasts of plasma hurled from the sun) can cause massive geomagnetic storms that disrupt
technology
communication systems
electricity
and damage satellites
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Space Junk
Space junk, or debris, is any piece of machinery or debris left by humans in space
Since the 1950s, humans have launched thousands of rockets and satellites into orbit – and many are still there
As of June 2021, there are 6,542 satellites
3,372 active and 3,170 inactive
There are approximately 34,000 pieces of space junk bigger than 10 cm and millions of smaller pieces
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CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik
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Why is Space Junk Dangerous?
At the moment, space junk doesn’t pose a huge risk to exploration efforts
It IS a danger to other satellites in orbit that could be damaged by a collision
Every year, hundreds of collision avoidance maneuvers are performed, including by the ISS
Eventually, Earth’s atmosphere could be unusable – this is called the Kessler Syndrome
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Asteroid Impacts
Any space rock with a diameter up to 33 feet would be destroyed by Earth’s atmosphere
Asteroids large enough to impact Earth, like the one that killed the dinosaurs (5-10 km), happen approximately every 50-60 million years
According to NASA, the probability of an asteroid capable of destroying a city striking Earth is 0.1% every year
If one of these does hit Earth, there is a 70% chance it will land in the ocean, and a 25% chance it will land over a relatively unpopulated area