Flight control, space weather and debris: What an astronaut needs to know
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By European Space Agency
Video: 00:13:21 Satellites in orbit underpin our modern lives. They are used in many areas and disciplines, including space science, Earth observation, meteorology, climate research, telecommunication, navigation and human space exploration. However, as space activities have increased, a new and unexpected hazard has started to emerge: space debris.
If space debris – uncontrolled human-made objects such as spent upper stages of rockets and pieces of satellites – hits a satellite, it could cause serious damage, which can even end a mission (as has happened in the past). If debris crashes on Earth’s surface, it could potentially hit populated areas.
In this second video, Nicolas looks back on the first key steps taken at ESA to develop the Space Safety Programme, devoted to the detection, prevention and mitigation of threats originating from space. This includes not just space debris but also asteroids and space weather. The latter is an intense, occasional energetic storm of particles and material emitted by the Sun. Mitigating these hazards protects our planet, society and economically-important infrastructure on Earth and in orbit.
A key element for the forecasting and prevention of space weather is to observe the Sun from the side. Discover more in this second video of the ESA Masterclass with Nicolas Bobrinsky. With 35 years of experience at ESA, Nicolas Bobrinsky is the former Head of Ground Systems Engineering & Innovation Department. He initiated and further managed the Space Situational Awareness and later the ESA Space Safety Programme.
In four episodes of this new series of ESA Masterclass, Nicolas takes us through major events in his career at ESA, covering cornerstone missions, first attempts, overcoming technical challenges, leading diverse teams and solving the unexpected problems that are part of any space endeavour.
Access all episodes of ESA Masterclass with Nicolas Brobinsky.
Access all ESA Masterclass videos.
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By USH
Is this the most spectacular UFO footage ever captured in space? This video was captured by NASA's own cameras aboard Shuttle Mission STS-48 / Discovery from 1991.
An object flies right to left before a bright flash is seen from what is presumably the firing of a weapon. The object immediately responds by changing direction and accelerating to an incredible speed. What looks like a missile or energy weapon streaks through the area where the UFO had been.
NASA explained that it was a debris particle responding to a shuttle thruster firing but records obtained from NASA show that none of the space shuttle’s thrusters were firing during the moment of the flash and the object initial response to the light flash, besides, studies on this subject have learned that the object appears approximately one minute after the firing of the shuttle’s thrusters and one minute before the next thruster firing but given that the object was closer to the Earth’s horizon than to the space shuttle means the thrusters could not have provided the accelerating force necessary to deflect the object from its path.
In addition, at the moment of the light flash some force began accelerating the object in response to the light flash but since there is no apparent external source of propulsion to account for the increase in speed, suggesting that it, too, may have been self-propelled which is another indication that the object may have been a UFO under intelligent control responding to a possible attack on its craft.
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By Space Force
Anticipated to launch in late 2023, Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) will be the Department of Defense’s first experimental, integrated navigation satellite system in nearly 50 years.
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