#space junk

[myjetpack]

My latest New Scientist cartoon

[wormluvr5]

here’s my chance to survive the night

[fly-the-pattern]

I want to see this gameplay

[jareckiworld]

Emma Whitehead — Earth Junk (Cycle Space Junk) paper ephemera, found & recycled objects sewn in silk on irish linen, 2015.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Commercial space race comes with multiple planetary health risks

The skies overhead are already teeming with satellites. But their orbiting numbers will skyrocket in the near future as the commercial and i

A 2024 study estimates that data storage to support current Earth observation satellites produces annual carbon emissions equivalent to 41,000 London-to-Paris flights. That figure is set to grow. Researchers also underline that spaceports and launches — putting payloads, various missions, and even tourists into space — remains a growth industry that has historically underrecognized terrestrial biodiversity concerns — perhaps beginning with Cape Kennedy’s role in the extinction of the dusky seaside sparrow (Ammospiza maritima nigrescens). In a 2024 paper, an international research team found that 60% of launch sites overlap with protected areas, especially in the tropics. Fanhao Kong, an author on that study and a researcher at the University of Marburg, Germany, says concerns are numerous, ranging from pollution emitted during launches, contamination of water sources, and noise disruption. “Biodiversity conservation is always the last consideration during the whole process,” she says. Her study highlighted how siting of spaceports predominantly on tropical coasts, along with the intrusive propulsion boost of launch vehicles, puts mangroves at particular risk. Conservationists in Mexico recently raised alarm that debris from a failed SpaceX launch led to contamination of a beach used by endangered sea turtles. Campaigners in the U.S. have protested against spaceports in other locations due to concerns over local water pollution and potential harm to protected areas. Wilson notes there is very limited knowledge as to how spent payloads falling into the world’s oceans impact marine life.

22 July 2025

[gracefletcher]

I love this one

[theofficialastronomy101]

So happy to finally share this shot with you: a conjunction of the ISS and the moon. This shot required meticulous planning and precise timing to achieve, and the full image (in the second post in the thread) is one of my all-time favorites. CR:AM

[draidachiart]

Comission to @l-ii-zz !!! Thank you very much!!!!! this is the 1st one!!