The content is provided for information purposes only.
Space sustainability and debris physics: The role of reentries
Written by Copernical Team Tuesday, 09 March 2021 17:46-
font size
decrease font size
increase font size
Write a comment
What goes up, nearly always comes back down. When it comes to the objects we send to space, atmospheric reentries are actually a fundamental tool in minimizing the creation of space debris and ensuring a sustainable future in space.
Objects in low-Earth orbit, affected by the 'drag' forces caused by Earth's atmosphere, gradually lower in altitude and then make a rapid and firey descent towards Earth.
Small objects disintegrate as they reenter due to the immense friction and heat created, but parts of larger bodies can reach the ground so should be controlled to land over uninhabited regions.
Join Stijn Lemmens and Jorge del Rio Vera to find out more about why this matters in the joint ESA-UN podcast that narrates this infographic.
Explore further
Provided by European Space Agency
Citation: Space sustainability and debris physics: The role of reentries (2021, March 10) retrieved 10 March 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2021-03-space-sustainability-debris-physics-role.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission.