Detecting Orbital Debris Using Albedo
Topic outline
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Earth's orbital environment includes natural debris from the universe but the addition of man-made debris has changed that environment since the 1957 launch of the 58 cm shiny metal satellite Sputnik I. The information that follows explains the dangerous nature of the increasing amounts of orbital debris and the importance of tracking the debris to formulate plans for its mitigation. The following portions of this lesson allow students to become scientists in understanding how orbital space debris can be tracked using albedo.
If you cannot view the video in YouTube, click here, Space Debris 1957-2016.
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The primer by Aerospace Corporation is an excellent resource for learning about orbital debris.
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