Mary Wilson
Well-known member
A new study looks at the potential that these satellite burn-ups could have on the recovery of our ozone hole
Posted: Jun 20, 2024 3:00 AM CDT | Last Updated: June 20
Nicole Mortillaro · CBC News ·
... These are satellites, and there are thousands of them in orbit. When they've outlived their usefulness, most of them will come tumbling back down through Earth's atmosphere, burning up.
Scientists are now looking at how this process is dumping potentially harmful particles in our atmosphere. And though the exact consequences are still unknown, some are calling it a wake-up call.
'Weird metals' in the atmosphere
There are an estimated 11,500 tonnes of space objects orbiting Earth, which would include even the smallest pieces around one millimetre in size (likely satellite collisions). But there are far larger objects in space, including spent rocket stages and upwards of 9,000 functioning satellites. More than half of them are SpaceX Starlinks, which provide internet services.
As of publication, there are roughly 5,200 Starlink satellites, but SpaceX has plans to put up upwards of 42,000. ...
... "In looking at the data, I started seeing not just the metals you expect from meteors, which are things like iron and magnesium, but also weird metals."
The first of those was lithium, which left Murphy scratching his head, since there's almost no lithium in meteors that burn up in the atmosphere. But then more and more started popping out — in all, 20 different metals — including an excess of aluminum, as well asniobium and hafnium.
Most rockets are have large quantities of aluminum, while the cones around rocket engines contain niobium and hafnium, along with zirconium. ...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/sat...and there,harmful particles in our atmosphere.
Posted: Jun 20, 2024 3:00 AM CDT | Last Updated: June 20
Nicole Mortillaro · CBC News ·
... These are satellites, and there are thousands of them in orbit. When they've outlived their usefulness, most of them will come tumbling back down through Earth's atmosphere, burning up.
Scientists are now looking at how this process is dumping potentially harmful particles in our atmosphere. And though the exact consequences are still unknown, some are calling it a wake-up call.
'Weird metals' in the atmosphere
There are an estimated 11,500 tonnes of space objects orbiting Earth, which would include even the smallest pieces around one millimetre in size (likely satellite collisions). But there are far larger objects in space, including spent rocket stages and upwards of 9,000 functioning satellites. More than half of them are SpaceX Starlinks, which provide internet services.
As of publication, there are roughly 5,200 Starlink satellites, but SpaceX has plans to put up upwards of 42,000. ...
... "In looking at the data, I started seeing not just the metals you expect from meteors, which are things like iron and magnesium, but also weird metals."
The first of those was lithium, which left Murphy scratching his head, since there's almost no lithium in meteors that burn up in the atmosphere. But then more and more started popping out — in all, 20 different metals — including an excess of aluminum, as well asniobium and hafnium.
Most rockets are have large quantities of aluminum, while the cones around rocket engines contain niobium and hafnium, along with zirconium. ...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/sat...and there,harmful particles in our atmosphere.
