According to NASA, 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.
hiking the Highline trail at Glacier NP
The Highline Trail is a very popular hike in Glacier National Park, Montana. The trailhead is across the road from the parking lot at…