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Lockheed Turns On Giant Radar For Space Fence

3,340 views · Published 10 March 2012 · 1:03 · Indexed 8 October 2026

Channel: Slate · 2012 · Science & Technology

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Sometimes a simple "keep out" sign just won't do, and that is especially true of encroaching space junk.
 
Yes, that's right, humanity has managed to start the inevitable trashing of space, and tracking the growing problem of "space debris" is now an Air Force project and a $3.5 billion military contract Lockheed Martin wants to win.
 
Cleanup projects like giant lasers and nets are still being debated, But Lockheed turned on a giant space debris radar system this week, which will track the entire sky for more than 200,000 objects larger than 0.8 inches across—and travelling between 7,000 and 18,000 miles per hour.
 
The hope is that system's tracking of satellite bits, rocket parts, and—believe it or not—paint chips, will help us avoid future collisions, like the U.S. and Russian satellite accident in 2009 that added to the trash pile.
 
The radar is great, but can someone please get working on that giant Hefty Sack? It's definitely time for some cleanup.

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