Humans are Polluting All Over the Space

<a href="https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/faq/#:~:text=More%20than%2025%2C000%20objects%20larger,Earth%20exceeded%209%2C000%20metric%20tons." rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">According to NASA</a>, it’s estimated that more than 25,000 objects larger than 10cm are orbiting the Earth. That number grows considerably if you look at 1cm+ objects, which are estimated to exceed 1 million. A whopping ~9,000 metric tons of garbage is revolving around the Earth! This so-called “orbital debris” represents a threat to functioning equipment in orbit and humans (astronauts) operating that equipment. A tiny object of only 10cm may not sound very scary, but these objects travel at speeds in excess of 7km/second. Their impact speed with another object can exceed 10km/second (10x faster than a bullet). Something as small as a paint fleck, traveling at 8km/second, can cause significant damage to equipment and be potentially deadly to an astronaut. <a href="https://medium.com/@jasonfoodman/humans-are-polluting-all-over-the-space-e3478890cf36">Website</a>