Low Earth orbitA low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, peaking in number at an altitude around 800 km (500 mi), while the farthest in LEO, before medium Earth orbit (MEO), have an altitude of 2,000 kilometers, about one-third of the radius of Earth and near the beginning of the inner Van Allen radiation belt.
Space debrisPollution around Earth by defunct artificial objects A drifting thermal blanket photographed in 1998 during STS-88 Part of a series onPollutionAir pollution from a factory Air Acid rain Air quality index Atmospheric dispersion modeling Chlorofluorocarbon Combustion Exhaust gas Haze Household air pollution Global dimming Global distillation Indoor air quality Non-exhaust emissions Ozone depletion Particulate matter Persistent organic pollutant Smog Soot Volatile organic compound Biological Biological hazard Genetic Illegal logging Introduced species Invasive species Digital Information Effects of violence in mass media Electromagnetic Light Ecological Overillumination Radio spectrum Natural Ozone Radium and radon in the environment Volcanic ash Wildfire Noise Transportation Health effects from noise Marine mammals and sonar Noise barrier Noise control Soundproofing Radiation Actinides Bioremediation Depleted uranium Nuclear fission Nuclear fallout Plutonium Poisoning Radioactivity Uranium Radioactive waste Soil Agricultural Land degradation Bioremediation Defecation Electrical resistance heating Illegal mining Soil guideline values Phytoremediation Solid waste Advertising mail Biodegradable waste Brown waste Electronic waste Food waste Green waste Hazardous waste Industrial waste Landfill Litter Mining Municipal solid waste Nanomaterials Plastic Packaging waste Post-consumer waste Waste management Space Space debris Thermal Urban heat island Visual Air travel Advertising clutter Overhead power lines Traffic signs Urban blight Vandalism War Chemical warfare Herbicidal warfare Agent Orange Nuclear holocaust Nuclear fallout Nuclear famine Nuclear winter Scorched earth Unexploded ordnance War and environmental law Water Agricultural wastewater Biosolids Diseases Eutrophication Firewater Freshwater Groundwater Hypoxia Industrial wastewater Marine Monitoring Nonpoint source Nutrient Ocean acidification Oil spill Pharmaceuticals Freshwater salinization Septic tanks Sewage Shipping Sludge Stagnation Sulfur water Surface runoff Turbidity Urban runoff Water quality Wastewater Topics History Pollutants Heavy metals Paint Misc Area source Brain health and pollution Debris Dust Garbology Legacy Midden Point source Technofossil Waste Toxic Lists Diseases Law by country Most polluted cities Least polluted cities by PM2.5 Treaties Most polluted rivers Categories By country Environment portal Ecology portalvte Space debris (also known as space junk, space pollution, space waste, space trash, space garbage, or cosmic debris) are defunct human-made objects in space – principally in Earth orbit – which no longer serve a useful function.
Aerodynamic heatingAerodynamic heating is the heating of a solid body produced by its high-speed passage through air. In science and engineering, an understanding of aerodynamic heating is necessary for predicting the behaviour of meteoroids which enter the Earth's atmosphere, to ensure spacecraft safely survive atmospheric reentry, and for the design of high-speed aircraft and missiles.
AtmosphereAn atmosphere is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. The name originates from Ancient Greek (atmós)'vapour, steam' and (sphaîra)'sphere'. An object acquires most of its atmosphere during its primordial epoch, either by accretion of matter or by outgassing of volatiles.
Outer spaceVoid between celestial bodiesFor other uses, see Outer space (other).Being essentially empty, outer space allows the earliest (redder) galaxies to be viewed without obstruction, as in the Webb's First Deep Field image.Outer space, or simply space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth's atmosphere and between celestial bodies.
BolideA bolide is normally taken to mean an exceptionally bright meteor, but the term is subject to more than one definition, according to context. It may refer to any large crater-forming body, or to one that explodes in the atmosphere. It can be a synonym for a fireball, sometimes specific to those with an apparent magnitude of −4 or brighter.
Drag (physics)Drag is the component that is parallel to the flow direction, and lift is defined as the component of the aerodynamic force that is perpendicular to the flow direction.In fluid dynamics, drag, sometimes referred to as fluid resistance, and also known as viscous force, is a force acting opposite to the direction of motion of any object moving with respect to a surrounding fluid. This can exist between two fluid layers, or between a fluid and a solid surface.
Astronomical objectAn astronomical object, celestial object, stellar object or heavenly object is a naturally occurring physical entity, association, or structure that exists within the universe. In astronomy, the terms object and body are often used interchangeably.
PlanetA planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is generally required to be in orbit around a star, stellar remnant, or brown dwarf, and is not one itself. The Solar System has eight planets by the most restrictive definition of the term: the terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, and the giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
AblationAblation (Latin: ablatio – removal) is the removal or destruction of something from an object by vaporization, abrasion, erosive processes, or other means. The object may be fully ablated away. Examples of ablation as it is relevant to various industries are described below, including spacecraft material for ascent and atmospheric reentry, ice and snow in glaciology, biological tissues in medicine, and passive fire protection materials.
Dwarf planetA dwarf planet is a small planetary-mass object that is in direct orbit around the Sun, massive enough to be gravitationally rounded, but insufficient to achieve orbital dominance like the eight classical planets of the Solar System. The prototypical dwarf planet is Pluto, which for decades was regarded as a planet before the "dwarf" concept was adopted in 2006.
Compressive strengthIn mechanics, compressive strength (or compression strength) is the capacity of a material or structure to withstand loads tending to reduce size (compression). It is opposed to tensile strength, which withstands loads tending to elongate, resisting tension (being pulled apart). In the study of strength of materials, compressive strength, tensile strength, and shear strength can be analyzed independently.
Natural satelliteAstronomical body that orbits a planetThe Moon orbiting around Earth (observed by the Deep Space Climate Observatory)A natural satellite is, in the most common usage, an astronomical body that orbits a planet, dwarf planet, or small Solar System body (or sometimes another natural satellite). Natural satellites are colloquially referred to as moons, by analogy with the Moon, Earth's natural satellite.
Appendix:Glossary of atmospheric reentryRelated word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.