Letters: India's disastrous mission

This refers to “‘Enemy’ ballistic missile to be downed in space next month” (December 3). The plans of the Indian military to purposely – and explosively – destroy an object in space will be disastrous in light of international efforts to reduce the threat posed to both manned and unmanned missions by orbital space debris. India seems committed to join China as the “worst offender” in this regard. China tested a missile in January 2007 by exploding a weather satellite, drawing broad international condemnation for its contribution to the debris problem; material from that explosion, including at least 950 large pieces, continues to orbit the earth at altitudes most heavily used by space missions, including the International Space Station.

 

To illustrate the potential for disaster: in 1983, the windshield of the Space Shuttle Challenger was struck by a 0.1 mm fleck of paint from some previous mission. This paint fleck, though tiny, was travelling at roughly 27,000 km/h, and it almost completely penetrated the windshield. Had it done so, the craft would have depressurised, and all aboard would have been killed.

The UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space published guidelines in 2010, one of which specifically suggests that spacefaring nations “avoid intentional destruction and other hazardous activities”. India’s decision to carry out this mission is thus either woefully ignorant of international standards, or shows an utter lack of foresight regarding the sustainability of future space operations (including those carried out by India itself). The project ought to be cancelled immediately.

Justin St P Walsh
Chapman University Orange, California

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