The 'Raining' Rocket Problem

Have you ever thought about space debris and wondered whether or not it can be controlled or what happens if that debris lands on your property? There are millions of pieces of space debris surrounding our Earth from old satellites all the way down to flecks of paint, but when it comes to objects making it to the ground we only need to worry about the really large pieces (since the small ones will burn up in the atmosphere). In many ways, some space fans even see debris falling near them as lucky instead of unlucky. Want to know why? In this video I'm talking about Space Debris; what it is, how it can (or can't) be controlled and what happens when it hits the ground.

Short on time? No problem. Feel free to skip ahead in this video using the chapter links below.

00:00 Let's Talk About Space Debris
00:48 SpaceX Space Debris Recovery
01:36 The Dangers of Space Debris
03:48 How We Track Space Debris
04:49 Who Owns Space Debris?
06:32 Has Anyone Been Hit by Space Debris?

Enjoy this video and interested in seeing more? Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to subscribe!

Our animation rendering machine

Thanks to the following channels for their awesome footage:

Thumbnail image by Jonas Bendiksen

References:

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Music used in this video:

» Lights In The Abyss - Serge Pavkin Music
» Lemon Drops ft. Jacquire King - Stephan Sharp
» Solar Flare - I think I Can Help You
» Pond Life - Jamie West-Oram
» Lie On The Tracks - Trout Recording
» See You - Maxzwell
» Cloud Wheels Castle Builder - Puddle Of Infinity

Credits:

#SpaceX #SpaceDebris #SpaceTreaty

[WinWin-pzwq]

Imagine suddenly hearing a loud bang while sleeping so you wake up only to find that there’s a rocket fuel tank in your room

[drds]

I was really hoping you were going to cover the cow that was killed in Cuba when a piece of a US rocket fell on it. The incident made it so that no US rocket ever flew over Cuba again until SpaceX got permission to start again a few years back.

Great video btw!

[thevivianbrun]

Fun fact: NASA was fined $400 for littering by the Shire of Esperance for Skylab re-entering. They never paid until a radio host did it for them.

[randallsmerna]

If the ownership of the space debris is automatic to the builder, then the responsibility of removing it and cleaning it up should also go to the builder.

[reggiep]

People need to clean up after themselves... *even in space!* 😂

[cosmicarc]

I wonder if in the future, debris we left on celestial bodies like the moon and mars will be considered a historic site and space tourists could visit them and admire the remains of our long lost robotic pioneers.

[DoryAbelman]

That Soviet satellite that fell in northern Canada could have landed on the densely-populated US east coast had it done one more orbit. Thank goodness it landed in such a remote area.

[LifesLaboratory]

When I was eight years old, my best friend and I promised each other that we would share Skylab if it fell in either of our yards. Alas, we did not acquire Skylab.

On a related note, I recall reading a book about a group of friends that set out on a one year trek in the Northwest Territories. They canoed through the summer and built a crude log cabin for the winter. They were camped on a very remote inaccessible lake when fragments of Cosmos 954 crashed through the ice. They saw it land and investigated the site. They were shocked when they were suddenly scooped up by the Canadian military, flown back to civilization, tested for radiation poisoning, and then dumped back in the wilderness. If anyone knows the name of this book, please tell me. I would love to read it again.

[thomasbell]

Nice work, as always. Just for the record, the repeated shot of junk falling around the water tower is debris falling back to the pad it was launched from, albeit in the shape of a rocket.

[pjimmbojimmbo]

I guess my favorite Space Moment was watching the Apollo 13 Splashdown, during School Hours. The Teachers shut down Classes and brought in the TVs. I was 10 at the time, but understood/knew more about the Mission than most of the Teachers.

[Astro_Aves]

My favorite space moment was the James Webb Space Telescope launch and watching the first images be revealed!

[yxdpplt]

Wait so your telling me that when I get a random drop of rain on a clear summers day... that's actually Buzz Aldrin's urine?! I am blessed.

[marceladea]

They barely mention this awful situation on the news. I didn’t have any idea of how bad and dangerous it is. Thank you very much! 🙏🏻👍🏻👏🏻

[FM]

“It’s a bird”
“It’s a plane!”




“It’s a freaking rocket pod!!!”

[criticalfxck]

This might be the first time I've thought to myself "That GoPro needs therapy" lol

[johnjones]

Somewhere among my late Father's photos is one of a piece of a rocket that fell in the bush of Zambia. We lived there at the time, Dad was a pilot flying in and out of remote places. The locals had this piece propped against a (?)tree. There was still visible parts of "USA" painted on it, which clearly shows on the photo. When NASA wanted the thing back, the locals wanted money, so NASA told them to bugger off and keep it!

[cosmicwarrior]

My favorite space moment was watching sn8 fly live when I had three streams open and I was freaking out and yelling! It was so awesome though!

[MrHichammohsen]

2:40 actually there is another case where NASA' got a $400 Littering Ticket For Skylab Debris in Australia

[SecretRaginMan]

5:10 A small correction: it was actually part of the TRUNK attached to the Cargo/Crew Dragon capsule. This is where the solar panels and radiators are located, as well as the unpressurized cargo, and the fins help provide stability in the event of a launch abort.

[bazpearce]

Saw a booster come down once. Just over 10 years ago now. We could tell from the speed and the shape that it was artificial. It didn't land anywhere near us, it down in the Atlantic judging by it's direction.