India shot down one of its own satellites the other day and is proudly proclaiming that it is now a “space poser.” (Oops, I accidentally mistyped the word and got poser instead of power. That might be prescient.) It wants to be a space power.
The point that I wanted to make, aside from the inadvertent one above was that each time a space object is shattered by smashing it to smithereens it adds to the load of “junk” that is circling the planet. This article expresses the problem.
The final paragraph sparked an idea. Since it is possible to monitor each piece of the “smithereened” satellite, India, and any other country that adds to the load of space junk, should be charged a fine for every piece that strikes the earth and does damage. A lawsuit for damages is often trebled as a deterrence to further offenses. Maybe the world court should award damage caused times three for every space junk strike recorded and reported.
In the old days, we simply tossed trash out of the car window, not worrying about any trash buildup. But that was quickly countered by laws that have, by and large, kept the highways and byways reasonably trash free. And culprits are fined significantly if they can be apprehended.
We need a “Lady Bird Johnson” to advocate for clean space-ways.
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