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.
- rapjr9
So do incinerating satellites create tunnels of conductive plasma through the atmosphere? Perhaps they are creating short circuits in the air. Could pieces of junk reaching the lower atmosphere cause lightning strikes by creating conductive paths? When I read the title about "plasma tunnels" that's what I thought the article was going to be about, not wind tunnels.
- bolangi
Satellites have many chlorinated and florinated chemicals, so being vaporized means introducing large volumes to the upper atmosphere where they can catalyze the destruction of ozone molecules. I'd be interested how the volume compares to other sources of atmospheric halogens. They could hardly match the quantity of refrigerant gases released, but being deposited directly in the upper atmosphere may make them more potent.
- piskov
What would be the number of reentries in the near future?
5-20 satellites daily?
At first glance, it seems negligible.
On the hand, given the intentional nature if disposable low-orbit, 20 more than ideal.
- fastball
> However, the rapidly increasing numbers of launches to low Earth orbit now threaten to increase the levels of space junk reentering the atmosphere.
Isn't it not space junk if it is burning up in the atmosphere? Kinda conflating two different concerns here that are somewhat mutually exclusive.
- marcosdumay
So... We still don't know if aluminum on satellites can be a problem or not.
Yes, it's nice that failed experiments get reported. But why another press article claiming the problem that this one research has been failing for a decade to show that exists?