There is a 10 per cent chance falling rocket parts will cause one or more casualties in the next decade – and the risk is biggest in densely populated, low-income countries near the equator
The wreckage of a Long March rocket that landed in Guizhou, China, on 31 December 2014 – fortunately, no one was hurtPieces of rocket falling uncontrolled back into our atmosphere may cause casualties, unless action is taken to limit the risk they pose.
The number of rockets launched annually has been steadily increasing in recent years, with 135 successfully going up in 2021 – the record for a single year. Many of these launches involve discarding part of the rocket in space after a satellite that is being carried up is boosted into its desired orbit. The rocket parts often then fall back towards Earth, and more than 1000 rocket bodies are estimated to have uncontrollably re-entered the atmosphere in the past 30 years.
Much of this debris falls into the ocean, which covers more than two-thirds of our planet’s surface, but some ends up striking things on land. In May 2020, a 12-metre-long pipe suspected to originate from a Chinese rocket . In April 2022, another piece of debris reported to come from a Chinese rocket landed near a village in India. Wreckage of a Chinese Long March rocket also landed in Guizhou, China, in December 2014 .at the University of British Columbia in Canada and his colleagues have calculated the danger that such falling debris poses.
“We think this has to stop,” says Byers, who wants rocket companies to be told to keep leftover fuel to target safe re-entries over uninhabited ocean regions. “We have modern rockets that can avoid uncontrolled re-entries, rather than playing Russian roulette with the Ivory Coast and India.
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
Humans Have Always Been Wrong About Humans'The Dawn of Everything' fundamentally shifted my view of … everything. I had to meet one of the minds behind its world-tilting revelations.
Les mer »
Today's Tucson weather forecast: July 10Get a glimpse of what the weather in Tucson will be like today:
Les mer »
BMW’s New Poop-Based Paintjob Really Could Be A “10-Footer” | CarscoopsCarmaker is partnering with BASF to use bio-waste to make some really crappy paints
Les mer »
Nido helps banged-up Mets rally past Marlins in 10Tomás Nido hit a tying double with two outs in the 10th inning and scored on a throwing error by reliever Tanner Scott as the Mets rallied to beat the Miami Marlins after honoring Keith Hernandez.
Les mer »
10 Sugar Swaps to Help Lower Your SugarPulse a head of cauliflower in a blender to create a non-starchy rice alternative. This replaces a carb-heavy, refined grain with a fiber-filled veggie on your plate.
Les mer »