Plasma Tunnels Reveal How Dying Satellites Really Fall to Earth
Plasma Tunnels Reveal How Dying Satellites Fall to Earth
German researchers are using plasma wind tunnels to simulate how satellites burn up during reentry, uncovering potential risks from aluminum ash. As the number of satellites in low Earth orbit swells, this debris could deplete ozone and alter the atmosphere's thermal balance. The study highlights the urgent need for stricter regulations as thousands of tons of space junk threaten to vaporize daily.
When a satellite demises, it does not disappear. It's still there in the atmosphere in the form of small particles of aluminum, and we don't know what these particles actually do in the atmosphere.