INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ( HITS FROM SPACE OBJECTS )

 

A space object is not just a fancy name for an alien spaceship or a meteorite. It's also any artificial material that is orbiting Earth but is no longer functional.

This stuff is called space debris or space junk, and it can be as big as a rocket stage or as small as a chip of paint.

Space debris is actually a serious threat to both crewed and uncrewed spacecraft, especially in low Earth orbit, where the ISS is located.

You see, space debris travels at very high speeds, up to 8 km (5 miles) per second.

That means that even a tiny piece of junk can cause major damage if it collides with a spacecraft.

Space shuttle windows often had to be replaced because of cracks from debris smaller than 1 mm (0.04 inch).

How often does the ISS get hit by space debris?

Depends on how big the debris is and how lucky the ISS is.

The U.S. Space Surveillance Network tracks more than 15,000 pieces of debris larger than 10 cm (4 inches) across, and if there is a greater than 1-in-100,000 chance of a collision with one of them, the ISS performs a debris avoidance maneuver to raise its orbit and dodge the bullet.

But there are many more pieces of debris that are too small to be tracked, and those are the ones that pose the most risk.

In 2021, a piece of debris punctured the thermal blanket and damaged the boom of the Canadarm2 robotic arm on the ISS. Luckily, the arm was still operational, but it shows how vulnerable the station is.

The good news is that there are some efforts to clean up space and prevent more debris from being created.

For example, the British satellite Remove DEBRIS tested two different technologies for capturing and deorbiting space junk: a net and a harpoon.

It also tested a dragsail, which slows down a piece of debris so it re-enters the atmosphere and burns up.

The bad news is that there is still a lot of work to be done to make space safer for everyone.

Some countries are still testing anti-satellite weapons that create more debris, and some satellites are not designed to deorbit or avoid collisions after their mission ends.

So the ISS takes a hit from space debris more often than you might think, but it's not hopeless. There are ways to reduce the problem and protect the station and its crew.                                         Thanks - Quora