Supervisors info:
Σωτήριος Μάιπας, Δρ., Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ (εξ. συνεργάτης)
Ανδρέας Λάζαρης, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολη, ΕΚΠΑ
Ιωάννα Γιαννοπούλου, Δρ, ΕΔΙΠ, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
Space debris, such as inactive satellites and abandoned spacecrafts, rocket-bodies wastes during launch, accessories released during missions, solid fuels, deliberate or random fragments from collisions and lastly objects having been used by astronauts, are in orbit round the planet and pose a serious threat for both the safety and sustainability of a number of space activities. It relates to a massive number of objects, the majority of which falls under the category of Low Earth Orbits and Geostationary Earth Orbits and given the extremely high speeds with which they move, they pose a menace to space infrastructure and not only. Towards the criticality of the problem of space debris it adds the fact that minuscule debris are hard to be traced and recorded. The aim of this thesis is to study the interrelation of space debris with both the outer space and the terrestrial environment and to specify the degree at which they affect human health either directly, such as in cases of manned missions or indirectly, by creating potential damage to the satellites related to terrestrial activities. Space debris pose a threat for International Space Station, as well. Although the majority of space debris entering Earth’s atmosphere blaze up, there have been recorded into the bibliography cases of debris falling onto the surface of the Earth and into the oceans, without any civilian injuries or damage being reported. There are, though, issues of great environmental significance such as radioactive pollution of terrestrial and space domains due to the usage of radioisotopes by spacecrafts, and space debris’ s interference into the scientific, astronomical, commercial and military activities. Other issues arising are of military nature, in the case of space debris being used as military weapons or of fiscal importance like the interrelation between changing a satellite course to escape collision with some space leftover and the consumption of fuel and life expectancy of the satellite. Finally, matters of ownership, responsibility and politics as well are implicated.
Therefore, the reformation of the tracking methods of space debris, the study of their ramifications on both the outer space and the terrestrial environment, the space decontamination methods from these and the formation of a proper legal framework are issues of the utmost concern to trouble the scientific community of the outer space in the years to come and project the topic of space debris as a ‘newly emerging environmental problem’.
Keywords:
Space debris, Mitigation, Kessler Syndrome, Active debris removal
