Could a Screwdriver Keep us Out of Space?

Photo by Jack Douglass on Unsplash

Now that I have your attention. Obviously a screwdriver is not going to keep us out of space. But enough screwdrivers might.

It’s called Kessler syndrome, and it happens when orbital debris reaches a critical point. A runaway chain reaction of collisions could then occur, destroying many of the satellites in orbit and making it prohibitively expensive to leave the planet.

What Causes the Problem?

The problem is space debris. Which famously includes at least one dropped screwdriver. Dead satellites, tools dropped by astronauts, spacecraft damaged or destroyed by collision with small meteors… orbital debris is anything in orbit that we can’t control.

And a lot of it can’t be tracked because it’s too small. The amount of it is, indeed, growing. It’s becoming more and more of a problem. We’re basically littering near earth orbit. And it’s hard to pick up after people. This is then a danger to live satellites, astronauts in orbit, etc.

Oh, and on top of that, a large enough piece of debris could re-enter more or less intact and re-enact the start of Dead Like Me (which I’m sure almost nobody else remembers).

In other words, even if we don’t end up trapping ourselves on our own planet, orbital debris needs to be dealt with.