Space is very empty and very crowded. Thanks to satellites, we understand far more about our planet and are more likely to see it as one place rather than a cluster of countries. They are also a case for concern. Some have crossing orbits and any collision could create enough shrapnel to create a cascade of collisions. Not only would that demolish a fragile network, but we wouldn’t be able to easily put up new satellites until we cleaned up a mess. Sweeping up debris that’s traveling at several miles a second is hard and dangerous. Technology, our necessary and fragile too.
“Interactive Graphic: Every Satellite Orbiting Earth” – Quartz
Pretending Not To Panic 