So apparently the #KesslerSyndrome has already started. The amount of avoidance maneuvers grew 3x over the last 6 months, and the amount of junk in the orbit went up by <s>40%<\s>63% <a href=https://spectrum.ieee.org/kessler-syndrome-space-debris> [1]<\a> over the last 5 years.

What now? It's hard to internalize that it's already here. It will be a quick ride from now. It goes exponential. Hug your GPS, satelite tv, the weather reports, the space photos. It's the end of the space age. We will be telling our grand children how cool it was.

And maybe, if they are lucky, the moon will herd the debris into an orbital ring. It will be magnificent.

What should we be doing to prepare for this? What are your thoughts?

#space #nasa #satelite #sst #collisionavoidance #esa #scifi

Kessler Syndrome Space Debris Threatens Satellites

The Kessler syndrome is turning space into a hazardous zone. Learn about the innovative tech and international efforts to manage this growing problem.

IEEE Spectrum

@licho Well, back to paper maps and a compass. Loss of GPS will be not felt in cities as much as they will just triangulate with WiFi and Cell Towers instead.

Maybe my dream job of remotely piloting an orbital garbage collector comes true? Need something that can pull the junk from LEO to GeoSync or beyond, perhaps to a Lagrange Point. L4 or L5, Sargasso sea of space junk.

@guamwatt does this exist right now? I wonder if I can try it out. Organic maps shrugs and says nope. I'm super curious if there are implementations available
@licho @guamwatt BeaconDB and Positon have approximate SSID/Position data - I think GMS has sth like that, and MicroG has an implementation with Ichnea APIs