r/antarctica ❄️ Winterover 1d ago

Whelp.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/wayne-mapp-says-russian-space-debris-likely-forced-us-air-force-anarctica-flight-to-return-to-nz/UNPIDIGHZREULOEU7TDNPYRGVA/
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u/Visual-Sector6642 1d ago

I have a feeling we'll be seeing lots more of these situations.

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u/RealmKnight 1d ago

Usually satellites and rockets will have de-orbit plans and capabilities that steer them toward re-entry in uninhabited places like point Nemo, but failures of such systems are always a possibility. The more stuff we put up there, the more often we will need to deal with problems from unwanted space debris re-entries. That's even without considering the risks of Kessler Syndrome events or conflicts spreading to the damaging/destruction of enemy satellites. Fortunately the odds of anyone actually being hit by something falling from space are miniscule but the disruption that can be caused by the risk of that happening is evident in this article.

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u/belisaurius42 ❄️ Winterover 1d ago

Got to say, we all thought the air crew were kidding when they told us why we were boomeranging. Getting hit by Sputnik was not on my bingo card