Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Space Junk Tracked

Posted by michael on from the nice-meeting-you dept.

TheToon writes "Remember that "new moon" that turned out to be space junk? NASA has traced the path of it, with an animation. Some close misses on the moon, but it turns out just fine. Junk is on its way now, but might be back in 2040."

3 of 14 comments (clear)

  1. Some disappointed scientists by program21 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I know that when it was first realized that this was space junk, a lot of scientists got excited at the possibility that it would hit the moon, and they'd get a chance to get some more mileage out the Apolla-era seismic detectors on the moon.

    --
    This has been a test. Had this been a real emergency, we would have fled in terror and you would not have been informed.
  2. Nice Manuver by Perdo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Near the earth-sun Lagrange point one. It changes course for no apperant reason. I geuss that is the beauty of Lagrange points.

    It sure would be nice if a mixed composition asteroid decided to park itself in the earth-moon Lagrange one. We could use the kickstart for our space program.

    That's my primary dissapointment with their discovery that this is just a peice of junk from the apollo program.

    Then again, the thought of a 1 megaton peice of rock aerobraking on our atmosphere doesn't sit well with me.

    --

    If voting were effective, it would be illegal by now.

  3. Animation by DustMagnet · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I thought the best part of the animation was at the end. You can see how the junk was pulled around the Earth by the Moon giving it the extra energy it needed to escape.

    --
    'SBEMAIL!' is better than a goat!!