What, if anything, was done to protect that big space station up in orbit during the recent Leonid showers? How big of a threat are the Leonids to human space activities?
Probably nothing. Not that I know, but it’s probably some statistically insignificant chance that a bunch of tiny object are going to hit a slightly less tiny object in the vastness of space.
Actually the threat of collision is a very real concern.A fleck of paint about 2mm across once almost took out the cockpit window of a space shuttle.
The only trouble is that there is almost nothing you can do to prepare for it.I believe the Hubble was turned away from the anticipated direction of the shower but that’s about all that was done.
Short of someone inventing a Star Trek style deflector Shield, hoping for the best is about all you can do.
Collisions are a very real threat though most of the problem stems from space junk already in orbit as of a result of space flight, everything from flecks of paint to exploded fuel tanks. Just about anything going 30,000 MPH can cause some hurt. :eek:
The larger pieces of trash are tracked via radar from the ground and NASA occasionally moves the shuttle if there is a risk of a collision.
There is an article in a recent Discover magazine that describes the problem, and specifically talks about a NASA “gun” that is designed to shoot pellets at speeds up to 30,000 MPH for the purpose of testing materials’ ability to withstand impact. Apparently the space station components have been designed with a multi-layer skin that provides some ability to withstand impacts.
Somewhere in space.com they went into it a little, basically they are turning the space station and almost all sat’s for that matter to expose their ‘thinest’ profile.
not much but at least it’s something.