Kessler Syndrome

Do you enjoy satellite television, high-speed communications, GPS, satellite weather forecasts, not having space debris land on your head, etc? It may all come to an end. The Kessler Syndrome describes the scenario where satellites hit other satellites or space debris producing more debris that strikes other satellites and so on until low earth orbit (LEO) is so cluttered that satellite use and space travel become impossible and space debris begins falling on populated areas. On February 10, 2009, Iridium 33, a 12-foot-long, 1200 pound communication satellite and Kosmos 2251, a 1-ton Russian military satellite collided 500 miles above Siberia at 26,000 mph generating a debris cloud that spread around the earth in just a few hours. As more and more debris build up in space, more collisions will take place until the Kessler Syndrome takes effect and the use of space comes to an end.