Space Trash a Real-Life Problem, and a what-if for sci-fi #scifibooks #satellite

Ever drop a tool while working outside? Suppose that happened in space? Suppose it was an entire tool bag?

“Flight controllers spotted the tool bag using external station cameras. The tools were not needed for the remainder of the spacewalk. Mission Control analyzed the bag’s trajectory and determined that risk of recontacting the station is low and that the onboard crew and space station are safe with no action required.” Smithsonian

This isn’t the first item astronauts lost in Earth orbit. “Famously, in 1965, during the first-ever American spacewalk, astronaut Ed White lost a spare glove.” But, the junk isn’t harmless.

Wikipedia animation

The amount of space junk is growing—and, as more satellites prepare to launch, this debris is becoming increasingly problematic. Though most of the pieces are small, they are moving at very fast speeds, which means collisions could cause damage to satellites, spacecraft or even the space station itself. Smithsonian

Orbiting junk is dangerous, even when the pieces are not intended to cause damage. What if a rogue probe hunts satellites? What if a space pilot hunts that probe, and now someone on the company’s lunar base hunts her, with deadly intent? That’s what science fiction is for!

Newly minted space pilot Winnie Bravo is brash, reckless, and more than a little annoying as she sets out to prove herself. Capturing a stealth probe that’s destroying satellites seems the perfect way to demonstrate her talents, but the mysterious craft escapes. Now, someone at her corporation’s lunar base is willing to kill to stop her.

Can she track down the lunar spies before they strike again?

Click now and head into orbit today