U.S. 'Decades Behind' on Space Debris Threat, Official Says

[Ravenchamp]

U.S. 'Decades Behind' on Space Debris Threat, Official Says



The amount of junk floating in space is getting out of hand and the United States must step up its effort to control orbital trash, experts are saying.
The chief of U.S. Strategic Command said Wednesday that America needs better tools to monitor the orbital debris that's up there and plan to avoid collisions with valuable satellites.
"We are decades behind where we should be, in my view," said Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton in a speech at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. Chilton called for more personnel and more sensors and equipment to study and combat the threat.
There are about 800 satellites in orbit now, and more than 20,000 pieces of debris in total, including bits of dead satellites and spent rockets, as well as more eccentric items like loose gloves and tools that slipped away from astronauts on spacewalks. And it's only likely to get worse as more satellites are launched into the increasingly crowded orbital corridors of space.

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches...-increase.html

[IndispensableDestiny]

Chilton called for more operations funding and more development and procurement dollars and to fund more studies and expand the threat.

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