The Rise of Chinese Space Junk
Most orbital debris is U.S. or Russian in origin. But China’s space program exacerbates an urgent issue. US Starting Asia Space Race? American Space Strategy: Choose to Steer, Not Drift Grappling With a MAD Space Future Mining in Space – The Next Frontier? Asian Space Race In one of this fall’s most anticipated blockbusters, Gravity , an astronaut duo played by George Clooney and Sandra Bullock are left adrift in space after their shuttle is destroyed. The culprit is Hollywood’s newest villain: space debris. Unfortunately for present day astronauts, this is not just Hollywood’s febrile imagination at work. As innocuous as it may sound, space debris is extremely hazardous and could even be lethal. In fact, the National Aeronautical Space Administration (NASA) has initiated an entire program, the Orbital Debris Program Office , dedicated to studying and monitoring this man-made phenomena. The international community, including the European Union ...