'Had the two satellites collided, we would have seen significant debris generation,' NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said.
A near-miss between a
's TIMED craft at an uncomfortably close distance on February 28, narrowly avoiding a collision.The two were initially thought to have been about 65 feet apart, but further investigations have found that they may have been only about 33 feet apart.
.''Had the two satellites collided, we would have seen significant debris generation — tiny shards traveling tens of thousands of miles an hour, waiting to puncture a hole in another spacecraft, potentially putting human lives at risk,' Melroy said.Earth's orbit is full of debris, ranging in size from dead satellites and rocket stages to minuscule shards of shrapnel from past collisions, all traveling at immense speeds.
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NASA satellite's 'shocking' space junk near-miss was even closer than thoughtMichael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, 'Out There,' was published on Nov. 13, 2018.
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