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There are several causes for man-made space debris.

The first is discarded parts from launched spacecraft and rockets. These can be entire burned-out upper stages, pieces that have come off during operation or stage separation like bolts, rivets, pieces of metal/plastic/insulation foam, paint chips etc.

The second are spacecraft themselves: satellites that have reached the end of their useful life because they've suffered from a critical failure or from degradation that limits their capabilities below useful, or because they simply ran out of fuel for station-keeping.

The last part is debris created by collisions of orbiting bodies, which can be natural micrometorites, space junk from one of the first two categories or active spaceraft colliding with each other. One example of this would be the satellite collision on February 10, 2009, when a decomissioned Russian military satellite hit an Iridium communications satellite, destroying both.

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13y ago
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6mo ago

Gravity affects space junk by pulling it towards Earth, causing it to eventually re-enter the atmosphere. This can lead to the space junk burning up upon re-entry or crashing back to Earth, potentially posing a risk to people and property below. Gravity also plays a role in how space junk orbits the Earth, influencing its trajectory and potential collisions with other objects.

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13y ago

A huge problem. The ISS is move multiple times a year to try to avoid collisions with larger junk we can track. Last february the station almost had to be evacuated due to a close call. even chips of paint are moving so fast they can deliver massive force. Also, defunct satellites and debris pose threats to new satellites, a loss of one would cost millions.

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9y ago

Space Junk (defunct satellites, rocket boosters, and their debris) poses a significant hazard to satellites and other spacecraft that orbit at the same altitude, or that cross the orbits of the debris. Most space junk is moving at very high speed (more than 20,000 mph / 32,200 kph), which can threaten severe impact damage in a collision. It would, however, be less than potential damage from micro-meteoroids (much smaller but traveling at much higher speeds).

The threat to people on the Earth's surface is relatively insignificant, since only a few pieces of orbital debris are large and sturdy enough to avoid disintegration on reentry.

The effect of space junk orbiting other planets is likewise small, but these space probes may carry nuclear power sources and biological contaminants from Earth. Either might be a threat to any extraterrestrial lifeforms that might exist and come in contact with these probes.

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11y ago

It floats around in orbit until Norad can track it and recover it.

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13y ago

It keeps it in orbit until it is eventually too strong and pulls it into the atmosphere where it burns up

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Q: How does gravity affects space junk?
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Related questions

How fast does space junk fly?

by the no gravity in the milky way


Can gravity deflect your direction in space?

Yes. Gravity is the main force that affects the motion of objects in space.


What force of nature caused''space junk'' to start collecting together?

Gravity


Is gravity force a contact force?

No - gravity acts across the vacuum of space - this is how the moon affects our tides.


Why do astronauts need exercise in space?

There's no gravity in space - this affects their muscles. Exercising keep the muscles toned.


Does space junk float in space?

In a sense. In space, technically no object floats, but rather is in continuous free fall. Contrary to popular belief there is gravity in space; it is the may force acting on objects. Most space junk is in orbit around Earth, meaning that, while Earth's gravity continuously pulls it down, it is moving so fast laterally that it never hits the ground.


Does gravity affect the speed of light?

Gravity affects the fabric of space-time. So both space and time will be distorted.


Is sending a tadpole to space to see how gravity affects development scientific?

It can be, depending on what studies are done on its development.


What is affected by space junk?

The presence of space junk affects the operation of TV satellites, weather satellites, the International Space Station, and any spacecraft that's launched from Earth, because a nut or a bolt hitting one of these at a zillion miles per hour can knock them totally out of commission.


does gravity affects in space?

In outer space there is effectively no gravity. However, that creates different problems: for example, people who stay in space for long periods find that their bones and muscles become weakened because there is less weight for them to bear.


How gravity affects your daily lives?

Gravity affects our daily lives by keeping us grounded on the Earth. It influences our movements, the way objects fall, and even the flow of fluids in our bodies. Without gravity, we would float away into space.


Why do you feel the affects of gravity more when you are here on Earth than you would out in space?

Because gravity is stronger with a bigger object. The greatest effect on the gravity you undergo has to do with the immense electromagnetivity from the Earth's core. There are none of those physical factors in space.