A chunk of space hardware is heading to the moon, and it’s expected to crash at more than 5,000 mph, weighing about 8,000 pounds. The upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will slam into the moon, which could help us better understand the challenges of managing space junk as more missions head to space.
Understanding Space Junk
Research chemist Ken Kremer stated that the upper stage was sent on a looping orbit between the Earth and the moon, and now the trajectories are just right to hit the moon. This crash could point out the need for planetary defense, as we’re going to send our astronauts to the south pole, and right now, there’s really no protection for them.
Original reporting: WESH Orlando — read the source article.
