Debris-fueled risk: NASA’s Aqua nears retirement and a lasting climate record teeters
TL;DR Summary
NASA’s Aqua satellite, a cornerstone of the Earth Observing System that has tracked wildfires and climate data for 24 years, is running out of fuel and will soon lose its ability to maneuver away from space debris, threatening gaps in a decades-long climate record as orbital junk rises and no direct replacement is fully funded, with private ventures like Google’s fire-detection plans poised to fill at least part of the data gap.
Topics:science#aqua-satellite#climate-data-record#debris-avoidance-maneuvers#nasa-earth-observing-system#orbital-debris#space
- The satellite that has been tracking Earth's wildfires for 24 years is running out of fuel to dodge debris — and when it finally can't, the climate record it spent two decades building goes with it Space Daily
- Earth's Orbit is a Real Junkyard: Almost Every Second Object in Space Has Already Turned into Debris Наша Ніва
- Study finds 47% of tracked orbital objects are uncontrolled junk NewsBytes
- Falling space debris poses a risk as spacecraft get stronger and more heat resistant PIX11
- Almost half of what is orbiting Earth is space junk geographical.co.uk
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