Dangerous Debris: Space Junk is a Worsening Problem, but a solution is on the horizon.

Image:Shutterstock; courtesy of Johan Swanepoel

Earth’s atmosphere is a mess made up of the debris from dead satellites and other unused space equipment. Every moment that passes creates millions more microscopic and minuscule pieces that travel at speeds beyond comprehension, and with the current technology, these pieces are untraceable and therefore very dangerous.

However, there could be a solution emerging from the work of a team lead by Professor Tat-Jun Chin from the University of Adelaide. Listen now to find out how the problem became as bad as it is, and how Professor Chin is heading a hugely significant project with the potential to clean up our local atmosphere.

Produced By: Marc De Paoli

Featured In Story: Dr. Ed Kruzins; Former CSIRO Director Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex at CSIRO & NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Professor Tat-Jun Chin; Australian Institute for Machine Learning, Professorial Chair of Sentient Satellites

First aired on The Wire, Monday 21 June 2021