Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Powerful Sun Storms May Sweep Away Space Junk

Date: 30 January 2012 Time: 05:54 PM ET
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An artist's illustration of a satellite collision that destroys a spacecraft in orbit.
An artist's illustration of a satellite collision from space debris in orbit. Space traffic accidents only beget more such accidents.
CREDIT: European Space Agency
Violent sun storms that shoot bursts of energy in Earth's direction have the potential to damage satellites and power infrastructures, but they can also clear the skies of dangerous space debris,  NASA scientists say.
The energy from these intense solar eruptions, called coronal mass ejections, causes the atmosphere to expand, creating more friction on pieces of space junk in orbit. The resulting drag sends orbital debris plummeting back toward Earth faster than trash from previous years.

MORE: http://www.space.com/14413-solar-storms-cleanup-falling-space-junk.html






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