Feb. 12, 2008 -- NASA and the military play close attention to the stuff flying around their spacecraft and regularly scoot them up or down to give passing objects wide berth. But when it comes to privately operated satellites, there is no Federal Aviation Administration for space. "There is no universal space traffic control," said Nicholas Johnson, an orbital debris expert at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "NASA works with the Department of Defense to look ahead and see if any debris or operational spacecraft are coming close to one of our vehicles, like the International Space Station, the space shuttle or one of our satellites. "If we see something coming, we get out of the way, but not every operator does what we do," Johnson told Discovery News. Related Content:
A communications satellite owned by Iridium Satellite collided with a defunct Russian spacecraft about 490 miles above northern Siberia on Tuesday. The crash created clouds of debris that could be even larger and more hazardous than the wreckage left behind by the explosion of a Chinese satellite two years ago in a widely criticized weapons test. "We probably won't know until a few days. It takes a while for debris to spread out and for us to get a good head count," said Johnson. Private companies can tap the DoD's orbital tracking information, but they would have to pay for it. "It's up to individual satellite operators to reach agreement to get that service. We pay the DoD to do that service," NASA's Johnson added. Iridium spokeswoman Liz DeCastro said her company has a contract with Boeing to maintain and operate its network of communications satellites and she did not know if any collision avoidance attempts were made. "In terms of what could be done in the future, I'm sure there are lots of people at Iridium and in other organizations to see what are the possibilities," DeCastro said. Get More NewsSpiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates.Oldest Hebrew Writing Possibly FoundAncient inscriptions on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard could make history.Rare, Prehistoric-Age Reptile Found in N.Z.A tuatara has been spotted on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in 200 years.Iceman Has No Living RelativesOetzi, the 5,300 year-old frozen mummy, left no living genetic legacy.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.It's Official: People Are Warming the PolesHumans are conclusively to blame for polar warming, say scientists.Eight-Armed Animal Preceded DinosaursWhat may be one of Earth's first animals was no bigger than a coaster and had eight arms.Phoenicians Live on in People's GenesOne in 17 Mediterranean men may be descended from ancient Phoenicians.Pesticides, Fertilizers Linked to Frog DeclineA pesticide is found to promote parasites among amphibians.Hubble Telescope Taking Photos AgainThe Hubble Space Telescope is once again snapping stunning photos of the universe.Andean Mummy Hairs Show Hallucinogen UseScientists find direct evidence of hallucinogenic drug use among ancient Andeans.Opals on Mars Reveal Planet's Long Wet PastOpals found on Mars suggest the planet has been wet for much longer. |
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