Kessler syndrome

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The Kessler syndrome , also known as the Kessler effect , is the cascading increase in the number of small objects in space debris caused by random collisions. This scenario is named after Donald J. Kessler . As an astronomer, he had statistically modeled fragmentation processes in the asteroid belt and, as a NASA employee , transferred this to the objects near the earth . In 1978 he warned that space travel would be riskier for future generations.

Collisions between small objects are very unlikely because they usually miss each other. Collisions between the comparatively few large objects are also unlikely (and avoidable, but see the satellite collision on February 10, 2009 ). The number of small objects increases mainly due to collisions with large objects. The explosive force from the kinetic energy of the impactor can fragment the larger object.

Kessler recommended abandoning the then common practice of leaving large objects such as payload fairings, burned-out upper stages and disused satellites in orbit as soon as possible . That would slow down the dangerous development, but not prevent it.

In fiction

Kessler syndrome plays a role in Ken MacLeod's novel The Sky Road , Peter F. Hamilton's novel Fallen Dragon , the film Gravity, and the anime Planetes ( プ ラ ネ テ ス ). It is a negative anomaly on colonizable planets in the 4X strategy game Endless Space , which (until resolved) lowers industrial productivity; Once removed, the space junk becomes a resource and increases industrial productivity.

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