Spacewalks carried out by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are broadcast live from start to finish to monitor any eventuality or accident. However, on a recent walk, it was possible to show how the Russian astronauts threw garbage into space, generating concern and questions.
The spacewalk, which lasted seven hours, was carried out by cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin, who moved an airlock from one part of the ISS to another. During this process, it was observed how they threw garbage into space, while uttering words like “bye-bye” or “just fly wonderful”.
As it explains future 360this act has raised new concerns, since launching garbage into space could contribute to the existing problem of space pollution.
The problems of launching garbage into space
Although some experts argue that the size of the discarded trash is not a significant problem, since it will burn harmlessly upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, others warn of the possible consequences and the increase of space junk.
“NASA: Look at the floating package of space junk being disposed of during the spacewalk. The package will burn harmlessly in Earth’s atmosphere”, explains Sky News in a video shared on YouTube.
It is important to note that space debris is an issue of growing concern for the space community, since it represents a risk for space missions and the integrity of spacecraft and satellites in orbit. Strict measures have been implemented to minimize the generation of space debris and control its impact in outer space.
After the incident of the garbage thrown during the spacewalk, the need to review and strengthen the existing regulations and protocols has been raised to avoid future actions that could contribute to the problem of space garbage.