NASA set to trash strict rules on rubbish

[glenc]

CAPE CANAVERAL: After years of debate on how to dispose of rubbish from the international space station, NASA has come up with the answer - open the back door and fling it out.....

Most discarded items will burn up in the atmosphere. But until they do they pose an extra headache for NASA, already tracking 13,000 of the largest items to ensure they do not hit the space station.

more at
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/nasa-set-to-trash-strict-rules-on-rubbish/2006/11/19/1163871272183.html

[iceman]

It's going to get very messy up there :/

Quite sad really.

[xelasnave]

mmmm close the gate the cows are out.
alex

[Dujon]

I'm no expert in orbital mechanics, but if you toss something away from an orbiting object is it not likely that within an orbit or ten it'll come back and bite you, with every chance it'll have a significant relative crossing speed?

Sounds a bit 'dodgy' to me. (sorry). :rolleyes:

[M110]

While on that subject I always thought space would be a good place to get rid of nuclear waste. I don't mean in orbit but blast it into deep space. Space is pretty big place. I really don't think anyone will notice a few tiny spacecraft. It would be better than trying find something to do with it on our tiny little world. And lets face it our dependence on nuclear power is only going to increase.
Cheers
Andrew

[stephenmcnelley]

The fact that we are still facing this waste resources and pollution problem terestrially and now in space kind of gives you the notion that it will be an awful long time before we are truly ready to venture out further and colonise other worlds, naturally or artificially created, without leaving a trail of destruction behind us.:(
I wonder if aliens, if they exist, have become extreme recylclers throughout their evolution and are much more biologically efficient in order to help them adapt and survive the rigours of survival itself?