1A

Click Here: The Potential Threat Of Space Debris


Listen Later

U.S. officials are turning their attention to a pressing problem in space. Not asteroids crashing into earth, but something else: space debris.

Thousands of satellites have been launched into space because our modern life depends on them. There are about 10,000 active satellites in low earth orbit right now. But as more and more of them go up, space is getting crowded.

And where there's crowds, there's waste. Millions of pieces of space debris are circling Earth right now. There are big pieces — everything from dead satellites to spent rocket stages. And tiny ones like blots and paint flecks. But they're all whizzing around at speeds that can be faster than a speeding bullet.

We team up with our friends at the Click Here podcast to take a look at the problem of space debris. We discuss what could happen if an adversary hacks an old satellite and uses it as a weapon.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

1ABy NPR

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

4,441 ratings


More shows like 1A

View all
This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

90,929 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,494 Listeners

The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,779 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,589 Listeners

The NPR Politics Podcast by NPR

The NPR Politics Podcast

25,764 Listeners

On the Media by WNYC Studios

On the Media

9,194 Listeners

On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti by WBUR

On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti

3,984 Listeners

Reveal by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX

Reveal

8,432 Listeners

Here & Now Anytime by NPR

Here & Now Anytime

1,002 Listeners

Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Science Friday

6,400 Listeners

Code Switch by NPR

Code Switch

14,616 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

112,022 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

16,340 Listeners

Consider This from NPR by NPR

Consider This from NPR

6,394 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,835 Listeners