Subscribe now

Comment

Space debris problem highlighted in new series of photographs

Our Fragile Space, an exhibition from photographer Max Alexander, focuses on the impact of the millions of pieces of cosmic waste circling Earth

By Gege Li

3 May 2023

NEW CLOUDS ABOVE US The modern world relies on satellites for its communications and commerce. While mostly invisible to us as we go about out daily lives, our entire modern way of living ? both socially and professionally ? is intimately linked with the orbital space around the Earth. How we treat this extraterrestrial environment will determine how much we can rely on it in the future. ?In this view of Greenwich, London, you?ve got examples of what?s in space. I photographed about 300 artefacts ranging from satellites to rocket bodies, satellite parts, solar panels, all the way down to the screws and a glove to show what?s up there. The photography was done over a one year period, across North America, Europe and the UK. I wanted to show this from a human perspective ? from the ground looking up. I chose Greenwich because of its history of astronomy and because from there you can see the financial district of London to highlight the modern world?s connection to the satellites that circle Earth.? Max Alexander

A view of Greenwich in London with a montage of examples of space debris

Max Alexander

THESE images aren’t just a whimsical collection of space memorabilia. Part of Our Fragile Space: Protecting the near-space environment, an exhibition by photographer Max Alexander, they highlight a growing problem: increasing amounts of debris are orbiting Earth in the same region of space as thousands of satellites, heightening the risk of collisions.

DELTA STAGE 2 FUEL TANK Launched in April 1996, this fuel tank re-entered the Earth?s atmosphere and landed near a Texas farmhouse in January 1997. Metallurgical analysis indicates that it reached a temperature of around 1300?C during re-entry. There are 15 small craters on this tank, made by the impact of micrometeoroids and space debris. A few impacts even penetrated the tank wall.

Fuel tank from the second stage of a Delta rocket

Max Alexander

Alexander collaborated with astronomy writer Stuart Clark, the University of Warwick, UK, and its Centre for Space Domain Awareness, among others, to draw attention to the impact of the some 160 million pieces of cosmic waste circling Earth – all of which have human-made origins.

CHILBOLTON CONTROL ROOM, HAMPSHIRE, UK Station Manager Darcy Ladd and Emal Rumi look out over the main dish at the Chilbolton observatory, the UK?s main civilian satellite and debris tracking facility. Alongside monitoring the space environment, the observatory performs a wide range of scientific endeavours, including astronomy, atmospheric science and radiocommunications.

Control room of Chilbolton Observatory,

Max Alexander

The images show: a fuel tank from the second stage of a Delta rocket that returned to Earth in 1997, with craters from impacts with space debris and micrometeorites; the control room of Chilbolton Observatory, the main UK facility for tracking civilian satellites and space debris;

SPACE DEBRIS FROM ARIANE 4 ROCKET Cerise was a French military reconnaissance satellite, launched in 1995 on an Ariane 4 rocket. A year later it was struck by a piece of space debris. The impact severed a boom arm that helped stabilise the spacecraft. This accident was the first verified collision between an active satellite and a piece of space debris. This piece of the Ariane 4 is from the National Air and Space Museum of France?s collection.

Max Alexander

Pictured above is a piece of an Ariane 4 rocket, which launched a satellite in 1995 that was later involved in the first verified satellite-debris collision; a puncture made in an aluminium plate by a plastic projectile travelling at high velocity, as part of a study into the effects of impacts at orbital speed (pictured below);

PLASTIC INTO METAL This aluminium plate has been punctured by a plastic projectile. While the aluminium is stronger than the plastic, the damage is done because of the energy carried in the speeding projectile. The movement energy of a small object is mostly determined by its speed, and when the speed is kilometres per second, the energy is enormous. This is released on impact, creating the equivalent of a small explosion. This piece is part of Donald Kessler?s private collection.

Max Alexander

A view of Greenwich in London (main picture) with a montage of examples of space debris superimposed on the sky; and pictured below, an astronaut’s glove dropped during a spacewalk from the Gemini IV mission in 1965.

GLOVES IN SPACE Not all space debris is composed of broken rockets and dead satellites. Occasionally astronauts drop things overboard as well. A spacesuit glove similar to this one was lost during a space walk from the Gemini IV mission in 1965. It had been left in the airlock, so when a fully suited Ed White opened the exterior door to make his way outside, the glove floated off as well. Estimates suggest that it spent a month orbiting the Earth before re-entering and burning up.

Max Alexander

Our Fragile Space will run at Coventry Cathedral, UK, from 6 to 21 May; at the Vienna International Centre in Austria from 31 May to 9 June; then at Jodrell Bank, UK, from 12 June to mid-September.

Topics: