ISS shifts orbit to dodge space debris

by Stevie Smith - Mar 23 2009, 17:15

It’s been a busy few days for the astronauts crammed into the International Space Station (ISS), and operational fluidity isn’t being helped by being repeatedly buzzed by potentially dangerous chunks of orbiting detritus.

Having finally welcomed the delayed space shuttle Discovery ahead of the installation of the station’s final set of vital solar panels, the crew aboard the ISS were forced to alter its positioning in order to prevent colliding with a four-inch chunk of inbound debris on a similar orbit.

With concerns growing regarding the amount of junk cluttering the space around the planet, the station’s recent evasive action is the third time in as many weeks it has come in close contact with troublesome bits of defunct satellites and other man-made items.

However, it’s worth noting that this week’s buzz is the first time NASA has deemed the threat significant enough to physically alter the station’s orbit to ensure a safe miss.

“Adjusting the orbit of the space station is a big deal. It requires a lot of planning. It’s very resource intensive,” commented station flight director Kwatsi Alibaruho in an ABC report.

“When we do not have a shuttle there, it requires a great deal of coordination and analysis between Mission Control in Houston and Mission Control in Russia,” he added. “It’s a big deal.”

According to figures offered up by U.S. Strategic Command in Nebraska, eyes on the ground are actively monitoring an estimated 13,000 pieces of orbiting space junk measuring more than 30 feet in length, while it there are approximately 100,000 pieces measuring less than four inches.

It is also believed that hundreds more pieces of debris were left drifting high above the planet in February when an American communications satellite collided with an abandoned Russian intelligence satellite over Siberia.

U.S. Strategic Command has also said the small chunk of debris that caused the ISS to shift orbit is likely from a Chinese satellite launched a decade ago.

Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter.

The Tech Herald: ISS astronauts forced to evacuate station

The Tech Herald: Satellite crast points to U.S. space weapon

Around the Web