{"id":1244,"date":"2022-11-18T08:59:32","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T13:59:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techfragments.com\/?p=1244"},"modified":"2022-11-18T08:59:33","modified_gmt":"2022-11-18T13:59:33","slug":"thermosphere-shrinking-debris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techfragments.com\/thermosphere-shrinking-debris\/","title":{"rendered":"Thermosphere Shrinking Means Longer Lasting Space Junk"},"content":{"rendered":"

Because of rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, temperatures near the surface of the Earth are going up<\/a>. The mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT), the uppermost layers of the atmosphere, are around 37 miles in altitude and where carbon dioxide cools the atmosphere, causing it to condense and contract.<\/p>\n

For more than three decades, this cooling and contracting process has been postulated. Now, fresh research provides the first indication that upper atmospheric shrinking has started on a global scale.<\/p>\n

The MLT has shrunk by over 0.8 miles between 2002 and 2019, a recent study that uses satellite-derived pressure and temperature data reports. According to the researchers, the carbon dioxide-related portion of this contraction \u2014 about 340 meters (1,115 feet) \u2014 is probably permanent. At that time, solar activity was decreasing, which accounts for the remaining contraction.<\/p>\n

Mesosphere And Lower Thermosphere Dwindling<\/h2>\n
\"shrinking

Daily global average (55\u00b0N to 55\u00b0S) temperature (K) at five different pressure levels from January 2002 through December 2021. More than 7,200 days of data are plotted for each pressure level.
Credit: Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres (2022). DOI: 10.1029\/2022JD036767<\/p><\/div>\n

A cooling and shrinking mesosphere and lower thermosphere will increase the longevity of space debris<\/a> at higher altitudes, including the upper thermosphere. This puts the International Space Station and other low-Earth orbit space objects at risk. Tens of thousands of pieces of known space debris, ranging from natural meteoroids to man-made technological junk, are currently orbiting the Earth.<\/p>\n

Most debris descends and falls out of orbit over time. Cooling in the thermosphere, according to models published earlier in Geophysical Research Letters<\/em>, would result in a 33% decrease in drag and 30% longer lifetimes for space debris by 2070.<\/p>\n

“One consequence is satellites will stay up longer, which is great, because people want their satellites to stay up. But debris will also stay up longer and likely increase the probability that satellites and other valuable space objects will need to adjust their path to avoid collisions,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

said lead author Martin Mlynczak. He also pointed out that debris that lasts longer could raise the cost of space insurance and be a major factor in future decisions about space law and policy.<\/p>\n