Since the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, the lower orbit around the Earth has become an increasingly congested environment with more than 2,200 satellite launches to date.
Those satellites – along with launch vehicle components and debris from mechanical disintegration, collisions and explosions – now fill this region with a "fog" of space debris.
With Amazon, Canada's Telesat and others planning satellite constellations of similar scale, low Earth orbit is becoming ever more crowded.
Other things to check out:
TRAPPIST-1 planetary orbits not misaligned: First scientific result by the new spectrograph on
Astronomers using the Subaru Telescope have determined that the Earth-like planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system are not significantly misaligned with the rotation of the star. This is an important result for understanding the evolution of planetary systems around very low-mass stars in general, and in particular the history of the TRAPPIST-1 planets including the ones near the habitable zone.
Stars like the Sun are not static, but rotate about an axis. This rotation is most noticeable when there are features like sunspots on the surface of the star. In the Solar System, the orbits of all of the planets are aligned to within 6 degrees with the Sun's rotation.
U.S. Military's Mystery Space Plane Rockets Back Into Orbit | Time
(CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.) — The U.S. military’s mystery space plane rocketed into orbit again Sunday, this time with an extra load of science experiments.
It’s the sixth flight of an X-37B, a solar-powered plane that’s flown by remote control without a crew.
Officials aren’t saying how long the spacecraft will remain in orbit this time or the purpose of the mission. But a senior vice president for X-37B developer Boeing, Jim Chilton, noted each mission has been progressively longer.
Two examples of how to use observations of terrestrial planets orbiting in temperate orbits
This plot shows how measurements of CO2 atmospheric mixing ratio for a sample of terrestrial-size planets spanning a wide range of irradiations could be used to statistically infer the existence of a CO2 cycle, and even possibly the existence of a carbonate-silicate cycle. Between the inner and outer edges of the Habitable Zone (Kopparapu et al. 2013), the blue solid curve (adapted from Bean et al. 2017) shows the predicted CO2 needed to maintain a surface temperature of 290 K.
Terrestrial planets in temperate orbits around very low mass stars are likely to have evolved in a very different way than solar system planets, and in particular Earth.
While you're here, how about this:
6 Planet satellites will hitch rides to orbit with SpaceX Starlink launches | Space
Six SkySat spacecraft operated by San Francisco-based company Planet will ride to low Earth orbit (LEO) atop SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets in the near future, representatives of both companies announced Wednesday (May 13).
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Over the course of this spring and summer, we'll be launching six SkySats into space aboard @SpaceX's Falcon 9, offering targeted coverage, unrivaled rapid revisits and raw image capacity in key regions. https://t.co/yFu5tHNWbH pic.twitter.com/g4UsgtVwoU May 13, 2020
As the Middle East bakes, humans show Earth's orbit who's boss - Science & Health - Haaretz
While about it, the researchers show that the history of ice ages is more complicated than we thought, and pre-humankind, the overriding impetus was usually variation in the Earth's orbit rather than changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Not this time, the Rutgers scientists say. It's us. We showed that solar system a thing or two.
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Think it's hot today in Israel and Egypt? Certainly for this time of year? It is and we ain't seen nothing yet. Heat waves aren't anomalous for May but this one, which began at the end of last week, is more intense and longer than usual in both countries; the Israel Meterological Service says this is "probably" because of climate change .
Bloomberg - Are you a robot?
Russian rocket disintegrates in Earth's orbit leaving behind 65 pieces | Daily Mail Online
A Russian rocket used to launch a scientific satellite into space has broken apart after nine years in orbit - leaving a dozens of pieces of debris around the Earth.
The Fregat-SB is a type of space tug and its upper stage was left floating after it helped deliver the Spektr-R satellite in 2011, according to Roscosmos.
Spektr-R was a radio telescope launched by the Russian space agency but it stopped responding to ground control last year and was declared dead in May 2019.
Happening on Twitter
Socialism does not belong in America. AOC, Omar and Sanders promote a dangerous ideaology responsible for famine a… https://t.co/e4rjMwp25Y RyanAFournier (from Washington, DC & Raleigh, NC) Sat May 16 17:49:36 +0000 2020
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