Sustainable Outer Space

Wednesday 12th January 10:00 - 10:30

“There are currently more than 1,800 individual spacecraft which are orbiting our plant today and new, private companies are launching more and more of these craft to provide us with access to space.
Satellites have become essential to our everyday lives; we need them for a range of services – from banking to GPS navigation and from data transfer to internet and mobile phones. it is because satellites can look back at our planet that they provide us with valuable information on our weather and essential data so that we can monitor global issues such as climate change.

So, why does space sustainability matter? If outer space is not safe, secure, and peaceful, the ability to use it could be denied to very citizen of planet Earth. Our activities in space have created a field of debris and rubbish in space that threaten our access to space. This debris can stay in orbit for decades, even centuries. Astronauts on board the International Space Station must watch out for debris that could damage and potentially cripple the spacecraft. Space Weather can damage electrical components both in space and on the ground, disrupting our communications and navigation systems.

This highly visual presentation will explore sustainability in space topics and how humanity is beginning to address this problem in order for us to continue our open exploration and access to space for generations to come. “

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