Do You Think Being A Litterbug In Outer Space Is Ok?
I just read an article titled, NASA set to trash strict rules on rubbish and it tells how N.A.S.A. has relaxed its rules and now allow the space station’s crew to jettison selected items of superfluous or broken equipment. The article continues on to read:
“Earth is ringed by hundreds of thousands of pieces of rubbish, including old rockets, satellites, nuts, bolts and spent instruments.” and… “Officials say that certain objects aboard the space station - such as a worn-out ammonia tank - cannot be carried safely back to Earth.”
It is said that most discarded items will burn up in the atmosphere. But until they do, these items pose an extra headache for NASA, already tracking 13,000 of the largest items to ensure they do not hit the space station.
What are your thoughts on this? Should a country have the right to be a litterbug in outer space? Do you feel that there could be future consequences caused by people dumping garbage in outer space? I want to invite you to share your thoughts and comments.
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November 20th, 2006 at 6:18 am
Mankind continues in its arrogance by believing it can affect that over which it has no control. This isn’t just the fault of the US, but also of every nation that has ever launched anything into space as well as creation itself. It isn’t all manmade stuff floating around up there.
Now, considering that there are 27,878,400 square feet (or 2,589,988 meters) in a square mile, even if each item averaged one square foot or even a square meter, we’re not talking about a whole lot of debris here. The planet surface is just shy of 197 million square miles (57,268,900 land and 139,668,500 water) and the exosphere extends the diameter or the sphere to approximately 9,600 miles (from 8,000), those 13,000 items are few and far between.
Much of the material has fallen off of spacecraft, while others were jettisoned to make for safe re-entry.
Mankind doesn’t have the capability to permanently do anything to God’s Creation.
November 20th, 2006 at 10:50 pm
I am curious on one angle though. The material here on Earth was put here or created by God. What happens when we transport material away from Earth? Normally, when we consume material here on Earth, it in someway goes back into the Earth. Wood is burnt, and smoke rises into the atmosphere and the ash is mixed back with the soil and dirt (never leaving Earth). Food is eaten which generates heat in our bodies, the heat leaves our bodies and gets absorbed into our surroundings, water is consumed and gets put back into the Earth, etc… all of these cases, these materials may change physical and chemical forms, but it all stays here on Earth. In essence everything is used and put back into Earth in one way or another. In the long run, if we continue to remove Earth material and keep it in space, can that have some kind of effect?
November 20th, 2006 at 10:52 pm
Not at all - eventually, it returns to earth. With the exception of a few probes, this stuff isn’t getting sent out of the planet’s gravitational pull.
Do you really think man can muck up God’s Plan?
November 20th, 2006 at 10:59 pm
No… but I do have a question, In the Bible, does it mention anything about space travel? If so, what is said about it?