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Space crash debris may orbit Earth for 10,000 years
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-02-14 15:39

Wright, in a posting on the group's website, said the two large debris clouds from Tuesday's crash will spread over time, forming a shell around Earth. He likened the debris to "a shotgun blast that threatens other satellites in the region."


This image provided by the European Space Agency shows and artist impression of catalogued objects in low-Earth orbit viewed over the Equator.[CFP] 

Meanwhile, there's no global air traffic control system that tracks the position of all satellites.

The US military tracks some 17,000 pieces of space debris larger than 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters), along with some 900 active satellites. But its main job is protecting the international space station and other manned spacecraft, and it lacks the resources to warn all satellite operators of every possible close call.

"With the amount of spacecraft and debris in orbit, the probability of collisions is going up more rapidly," said John Higginbotham, chief executive of Integral Systems Inc., a Lanham, Maryland-based company that runs ground support systems for satellites.

Oberg said the limited accuracy of tracking data and computer calculations makes it impossible to predict collisions, only their probability. He said most satellites also have little fuel to escape what most likely would be a false alarm.