space. Orbital Dance, a video game launched by the National Center for Space Studies for space debris awareness

The French National Center for Space Studies is launching the “Orbital Dance” game to raise awareness of the issue of debris in space. With more than 32,000 objects larger than 10 cm in orbit, space debris is a real disaster.

Since the beginning of the space adventure 65 years ago, tons of launch pads, vehicles and instruments have been sent into space. Without really knowing what to do with them once they reach the end of their lives.

This debris is still in orbit, “These are useless and inoperable things. These objects are moving at a fairly high speed, between 7 to 8 kilometers per second, and therefore can create a risk of collision with working satellites”says Pierre O’Malley, a debris expert at the National Center for Space Studies and director of the Sustainable Space Technology Project.

If two pieces of debris collide, they collide at more than 14 kilometers per second. It releases enormous energies that will rebuild a lot of small debris and gradually cause small debris to build up.

Pierre O’Malley, debris expert and director of the Sustainable Space Technology Project at CNES

Their number continues to increase, explosions and collisions in space have created hundreds of thousands of dangerous fragments of debris. Today it is estimated that there are more than:

• 32,000 objects larger than 10 cm in Earth’s orbit
• 1 million pieces from 1 to 10 centimeters
• More than 170 million objects less than one centimeter

“These are statistical models that have been put in place, so we consider that we know almost all the objects we’ve put into space. The launches, we know them all. We know the satellites from which each rocket should be sent,” Pierre O’Malley explains.

We have collision models. So when two objects of a certain mass collide, they will generate a certain amount of debris statistically.

Pierre O’Malley, debris expert and director of the Sustainable Space Technology Project at CNES

“When you do these statistical calculations and combine all these collisions and phenomena over the course of space history, they give amazing numbers. These are just statistics, but they are increasing.”Confirms Pierre O’Malley.

CNES, Inauguration of the National Center for Space Studies “tropical dance”. Game “Trying to make people aware of this debris problem. This game explains the problems and above all, it explains the solutions”confirms Pierre O’Malley.

Orbital Dance is about promoting in the real world the technological solutions we develop that we will put in the game so that people can use them.

Pierre O’Malley, debris expert and director of the Sustainable Space Technology Project at CNES

In the game you have to avoid and avoid wrecks, you can use new technologies that allow you to be more efficient. Avoid them but also minimize them, know how to spot them or be able to perform an anti-collision maneuver. to reduce it, “You can 3D print your vehicle passivation systems that will penetrate tanks, multi-layered armor protection systems, de-orbit sails, or even low-consumption GPS systems,” Pierre O’Malley reveals.

Hopefully, thanks to the fun universe and problem game, we’ll have innovative ideas that can come out of the player community.

Pierre O’Malley, debris expert and director of the Sustainable Space Technology Project at the French National Center for Space Studies

“today, People should realize that using the phone, GPS, and satellite TV, use up a good space. Space, if we want to continue to use it, we must control the debris.” The expert insists.

Pierre Labor believes that this is a global problem, “When we look at how many objects there are, what causes us problems is 98% related to the Americans, the Chinese and the Russians. We French are in fourth place with only 3% of the things.”

The largest pieces of debris today are those that were put into orbit from 1970 through 1990. One of the biggest pieces of space junk currently in orbit is a failed satellite invisatWhich weighs eight tons and can continue to orbit the Earth for 150 years.

Created by Dr Stuart Gray, a lecturer at University College London and a member of the Laboratory of Geodesy and Astronautics this perceptionto show how the amount of space debris increased between 1957 and 2015, using data on the exact location of each piece of debris (https://www.space-track.org).