On earthly roads one cannot do without it, but why did you need the rules of the road in space? It turned out that the problem on which we had closed our eyes for so long was becoming more and more serious. And it is close enough - in orbit.
Junk Orbit
Which country leads the creation of space debris
We have already written about the problem of space debris (for example, “Which country is leading in the creation of space debris”), but the point is that so far no concrete measures have been taken to solve it. Of course, concepts are being developed, and recently we have successfully tested a harpoon (a British experiment).
But the difficulty is that even with the presence of a network or an accurate harpoon, it will not be possible to carry out an effective orbit cleaning. How to remove about 5,000 tons of garbage, which continues to multiply due to collisions of large pieces and the subsequent crushing into small pieces? And these are not only remnants of rockets, but also non-functioning satellites that threaten both the still-working vehicles and cosmonauts on the ISS.
It has long been discussed the idea that when an orbit is critically clogged, a moment will come when no rocket can safely launch from Earth. And this threat is getting closer every day. While scientists are trying to develop effective cleaning methods, a new proposal has been received from the Russian side.
Workaround
Russian physicist and director of the Space Research Institute Lev Zeleny declares that space companies already need to develop traffic rules On Earth, this is a standard practice, first created in the 50s. BC er Its author was Julius Caesar, who introduced one-way traffic in ancient Rome to bring order to the movement of the city streets.
Who would have thought that now we need a similar practice in space! But after all, this is not about an infinite Universe, but moving in the orbital zone of the Earth. Green Leo indicates that there are too many satellites around the planet. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a set of rules and ratify them at the international level. Moreover, all countries involved in space exploration will be required to follow them.
They say that they are trying to develop a similar idea in the United States, but it is still designed for space activities within the country. Despite the need, it is a complicated procedure, because the new rules should not be in conflict with the Outer Space Treaty. Moreover, it is necessary to decide who will draw up these rules, whether a commission will be needed, including representatives of all countries, and whether everyone will agree to sign the contract.
Postscript
The most dangerous thing is that the solution of the issue runs the risk of delay. As long as countries argue, debris in orbit will continue to multiply. Creating traffic rules in orbit seems like a sensible decision. But the issue of space debris should still be addressed urgently, until we reached the point of no return.
