HOLEY HELL Inside horrifying world of 15,000mph ‘space debris’ that can blow holes in ISS and even TRAP us on Earth

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Future space exploration may be hampered by the increasing number of artificial and natural objects in Earth's orbit.

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A network of sensors operated by NASA and the United States Space Force monitors the sky and all 27,000 objects in space that are larger than 10 cm.

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The speed of objects in Earth's orbit is approximately 15,000 miles per hour, which is fast enough for a small piece to crash with a satellite or spacecraft and cause significant harm.

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A Blue Origin engineer shared a picture of an aluminium block that was almost completely destroyed when an orbiting particle of space junk less than an ounce in weight smashed with its broadside.

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According to CNET, the International Space Station (ISS) must perform one evasive manoeuvre year to avoid running into space debris.

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Scientists have thought about the danger that space junk poses to both Earthly life and our aspirations of space exploration.

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According to the Kessler Syndrome, Earth's orbit will eventually become so crowded that space junk would simply keep colliding, forcing mankind to put an end to space flight.

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More than 2,500 Starlink satellites have been added to the disc of space debris accumulating around Earth by Elon Musk, one of space travel's most vocal supporters.

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To the dismay of astronomers, SpaceX intends to launch up to 42,000 satellites into lower Earth orbit.

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According to Space.com, due to the military nature of the mission, many specifics were kept under wraps. China has tested a military satellite with the aim of cleaning up space debris.

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However, keen observers discovered that the Shijan-21 satellite moved an other satellite to a "graveyard" of space debris at a safe distance of 3,000 kilometres from Earth.

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