SPACE JUNK

Do to lack of technology in the 60's and 70's, we did not have the capability to reuse any spacecraft. So, all the rockets that the world launched into outer space, started to stock pile. This constant launching of disposable rockets and probes started to be come a problem. Granted some of the rockets and probes fell out of orbit and burned up in the atmosphere, but what about the rest of them??? Well, the upper stages of the Saturn V and other launch vehicles started to form a huge ring of space junk around the Earth. It was begining to be a traffic jam right in space. A major concern developed about the hazard of running into one of these pieces of junk during a spaceflight.

As a matter of fact:

"A study done in 1972 estimated that 2,760 pieces of stuff were left in space. 1,911 of these were left by the U.S. . Other countries left 849 pieces of junk. A grand total of 826 pieces of spacejunk crashed into Earth. 184 of these peices were American. The rest were other countries." Quoted from "Dividends From Space" by Frederick L. Ordway III, Carsbie C. Adams, Michell R. Sharpe.

In the next few paragraphs you will read a list of what "Space Junk" that orbits the Earth can be contributed to the U.S.

During Gemini XI astronauts lost a $2000 Hasselblad camera while taking a picture of something. The astronaut was supposed to take picture of something with a NASA camera and while doing so he let go of his own personal camera. The camera just floated away. The astronaut thought about untiing his anchor and retrieving the camera, but his wise crew mates convinced him that was not a good idea.
The Apollo XI mission left a laser beam reflector on the moon. The reflector was left to measure the distance from Earth to the moon. Also left behind during that historic Moon Landing was a Seismometer systems to measure moonquakes. A U.S. Flag and a plaque from Apollo XI was left on the moon, I would not dare call this "JUNK". Every Apollo mission that landed on the moon left an LM on the moon. On Apollo XV and XVII astronauts left a Lunar Rover behind. The Rover was the little car astronauts drove while they were on the moon.

The upper portion of every Saturn rocket was left up in space and in some cases the mid section was left in orbit as well.

After the Apollo Age

After the Apollo age all the launch equipment was trashed. I mean the entire launch site was moved into a huge dump. In this dump you can find any unused Saturn V or any other launch vehicle just lying in the dirt rusting away. Seeing these huge things lying in a dump on the Discovery channel was unbelievable. You see it there and you think to your self, " that should be in a museum or something to that effect". Not just sitting in a huge dump in Texas or Florida. But, I guess you can't salvage everything.

This makes me think what will happen to the Space Shuttle after the new design is introduced??? Will it too be lost and forgotten about in a dump somewhere in the U.S., or will NASA sell them to a country that is still trying to develop a reusable space craft??? This is a question that needs to be asked. After all the space program is for our benefit. So I say, write a letter to NASA and tell them, what you think should be done with the Shuttle after the new design is put into use.

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Last Updated by TeamQuest '96 c/o hotshots@ix.netcom.com on August 15th 1996 at 20:59:59 PDT