Have you ever imagined hitting a rocket that fell from space on its way back to Earth? This may seem impossible, and is in fact absolutely impossible, but with the continuous increase in space launches and more and more companies participating in the process of launching spacecraft and satellites, this possibility is increasing.
Research published in Nature and conducted by scientists at the University of British Columbia shows that there is a 10% chance that a person will be hit by an uncontrolled missile upon returning to Earth within the next decade. It’s a very small chance, that’s true, but it does exist and is bigger in densely populated areas and not necessarily where there are frequent releases.
The study by Michael Byers considered this possibility if current aerospace industry practices were to be maintained. In addition, analysis suggests that the Southern Hemisphere is likely to experience a lot of space junk, even though most launches don’t take place in this part of the world.
Danger of being hit by missiles
“Ini risiko kecil secara statistik, tapi itu bukan risiko yang tidak signifikan, dan terus meningkat – dan benar-benar dapat dicegah,” jelasnya. The analysis concludes that over the past 30 years of launches, cities like Jakarta, Indonesia, Mexico City and Lagos were at least three times more likely to be hit by space debris than Querican Misalnya.
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“The risk at the individual level is very, very low … However, if you live in a densely populated city at 30 degrees north latitude, you should be more concerned about it,” the researchers said, according to The Verge.
The advantage is that while the risk is low, it will not increase much in the future, as space practices adapt to it. “General aviation practice is to maximize safety. We believe the same approach should be taken for launches,” Byers concluded speaking of missiles.
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